Stallman Family Blog

INFLAMMATION IS A “HOT” TOPIC IN MEDICINE. It appears connected to almost every known chronic disease — from heart disease to cancer, diabetes to obesity, autism to dementia, and even depression.

Other inflammatory diseases such as allergies, asthma, arthritis, and autoimmune disease are increasing at dramatic rates. As physicians we are trained to shut off inflammation with aspirin, anti-inflammatory medication such as Advil or Motrin, steroids, and increasingly more powerful immune suppressing medication with serious side effects.

But we are not trained to find and treat the underlying causes of inflammation in chronic disease. Hidden allergens, infections, environmental toxins, an inflammatory diet, and stress are the real causes of these inflammatory conditions.

These are often addressed by powerful immune suppressing medication and not by addressing the cause. That’s like taking a lot of aspirin while you are standing on a tack. The treatment is not more aspirin or a strong immune suppressant, but removing the tack.

It you want to cool off inflammation in the body, you must find the source. Treat the fire, not the smoke. In medicine we are mostly taught to diagnose disease by symptoms, NOT by their underlying cause.

Functional medicine, the emerging 21st century paradigm of systems medicine, teaches us to treat the cause, not only the symptoms, to ask the question WHY are you sick, not only WHAT disease do you have.

I recently participated in a group discussion with a conventional doctor, a rheumatologist, and patient with an autoimmune disease, and one of my patients who was cured of a complex autoimmune disease by addressing the causes.

The focus of the other doctors, however, was on how to suppress the inflammation with medication, not finding and treating the cause. Functional medicine is a different way of thinking about disease that helps us understand and treat the real causes of inflammation instead of finding clever ways to shut it down. Medicine as it is practiced today is like taking the battery out of a smoke detector while a fire burns down your house!

Autoimmune conditions are connected by one central biochemical process: A runaway immune response also known as systemic inflammation that results in your body attacking its own tissues.

When my patient described how he cured his autoimmune disease by finding and eliminating the causes of inflammation in his diet and environment, it was dismissed as a “spontaneous remission.” In the face of a paradigm-shattering medical case, these doctors were hardly curious and quickly dismissive, describing what was shared as anecdotal.

My patient on that panel, a hard-working 46-year old father of three, was once so inflamed he could barely function. By treating the underlying causes of his inflammation he is now in vibrant good health, enjoying his life with his kids and fully capable of caring for them.

Stories like these (and the many others I have shared in my blogs, books, and on television) are not anecdotes but a giant compass pointing us in the direction we should be looking to find answers to our health problems.

In today’s blog, I will explain what autoimmunity is, how inflammation spirals out of control, describe some of the underlying causes for these fires in the body, and provide you with nine steps to cool the fires of inflammation and overcome conditions that range from allergies to arthritis and more.

Autoimmunity: What it is and How it Occurs

We are facing an epidemic of allergic (60 million people), asthmatic (30 million people), and autoimmune disorders (24 million people). Autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, celiac disease, thyroid disease, and the many other hard-to-classify syndromes in the 21st century.

These are all autoimmune conditions, and at their root they are connected by one central biochemical process: A runaway immune response also known as systemic inflammation that results in your body attacking its own tissues.

Your immune system is your defense against invaders. It is your internal army and has to clearly distinguish friend from foe — to know you from others. Autoimmunity occurs when your immune system gets confused and your own tissues get caught in friendly cross-fire.

This immune confusion results from what is referred to as molecular mimicry. Conventional approaches don’t have a method for finding the insult causing the problem. Functional medicine provides a map to find out which molecule the cells are mimicking.

Interestingly, autoimmune disorders occur almost exclusively in developed countries. People in poor nations without modern amenities like running water, flush toilets, washing machines, and sterile backyards don’t get these diseases.

If you grew up on a farm with lots of animals, you are also less likely to have any of these inflammatory disorders. Playing in the dirt, being dirty, and being exposed to bugs and infections trains your immune system to recognize what is foreign and what is “you.”

In this country, autoimmune diseases, when taken all together, are a huge health burden. They are the eighth leading cause of death among women, shortening the average patient’s lifespan by eight years. The annual health care cost for autoimmune diseases is $120 billion a year representing nearly twice the economic health care burden of cancer (about $ 70 billion a year). (i)

Unfortunately, many of the conventional treatments available can make you feel worse. Anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, steroids, immune suppressants like methotrexate, and the new TNF-alpha blockers like Enbrel or Remicade can lead to intestinal bleeding, kidney failure, depression, psychosis, osteoporosis, muscle loss, and diabetes, not to mention overwhelming infection and cancer.(ii)

When used selectively these drugs can help people get their lives back. But they are not a long-term solution. They shouldn’t be the end of treatment, but a bridge to cool off inflammation while we treat the root cause of the disease.

There is another way to deal with autoimmune conditions. Let me share the same story I told the doctors on that panel.

Recovering from Autoimmunity: Addressing the Root Causes of Inflammation

My patient Sam ended up on a long misadventure through the medical system before he came to see me. For years he went from doctor to doctor getting all kinds of labels for his problems but no real help in treating them.

This hard-working, once healthy trade professional had suddenly developed a series of inflammatory conditions including chronic sinus and prostate infections. Many doctors gave him many antibiotics for these infections.

Shortly thereafter, he developed severe chest pains and went to the emergency room. While he was there, doctors found swollen lymph nodes and told him he had lymphoma, a form of cancer. For three weeks he lived in despair until the biopsy results came back. It turned out he didn’t have cancer but an autoimmune disease. Which autoimmune disease? The doctors weren’t quite sure …

He had many abnormal blood test results — like low white blood cell and platelet counts, high levels of auto-antibodies of all types (antibodies that attack our own tissues), high immunoglobulins (the foot soldiers of the immune system), and autoimmune thyroid disease. But doctors had a hard time putting their finger on what was wrong. They couldn’t label him.

Meanwhile, Sam developed metabolic syndrome and weight gain (pre-diabetes) as a result of the runaway inflammation in his body.

Here is a quote from one his specialist’s notes:

“Whether he has lupus or Sjogren’s syndrome is a bit unclear. Regardless, he merely needs observation and no therapeutic intervention at this time.”

This unfortunately is all too common. What exactly did they plan to observe, how bad he felt? Or would they just wait for him to get worse before intervening?

That’s when he came to me. Using a functional medicine approach, a new way of thinking about the underlying causes and imbalances in chronic disease, I began by asking Sam some simple questions. Then I went hunting for toxins, allergens, and infections — all common causes of inflammation — and found the real causes of his symptoms.

He had taken so many antibiotics that altered his gut flora or bacteria and promoted yeast overgrowth. Fungus and yeast flourished in his body, growing between his toes, on his toenails, in his crotch, and scalp. He had Helicobacter pylori bacteria in his gut. He had a leaky gut and reacted to many foods, including dairy and gluten. He was exposed to toxins at his job and had high levels of mercury. And he had chronic sinus infections.

So we went to work cleaning house. I treated his yeast with anti-fungals and the H. pylori with antibiotics, got rid of his food allergies, fixed his gut, detoxified him from metals, and cleaned up his sinuses.

Then I helped heal his immune system by supporting it with nutrients. I gave him zinc, fish oil, vitamin D, herbs, and probiotics, and put him on a clean, whole-foods, allergen-free, anti-inflammatory diet.

At his next follow-up visit, I asked Sam how he was doing, expecting him to say that he felt a little better. However, his response surprised even me. He said he felt fine.

“What about the fatigue?” I asked.

“I have great energy.”

“What about the bloating and gas?”

“Nope.”

“What about the reflux?”

“Gone.”

“What about your sinuses and chronic phlegm?”

“All clear.”

“What about your memory and concentration problems?”

“All better.”

And he lost 15 pounds.

When his labs came in, they confirmed what he told me — they were all back to normal. His white cells increased and his immune markers calmed way down.

Sam’s results simply reflect the application of a new model of thinking about problems called functional medicine — it’s a way to get to the root of health problems and treat the underlying causes of what ails you instead of suppressing symptoms with medications.

If you have an autoimmune disease, here is what you need to think about and do.

Nine Steps to Treating Autoimmune Disease

Check for hidden infections — yeast, viruses, bacteria, Lyme, etc. — with the help of a doctor, and treat them.

Check for hidden food allergens with IgG food testing or just try The UltraSimple Diet, which is designed to eliminate most food allergens.

Get tested for celiac disease, which is a blood test that any doctor can do.

Get checked for heavy metal toxicity. Mercury and other metals can cause autoimmunity.

Fix your gut. For details, see my blog on irritable bowel syndrome.

Use nutrients such as fish oil, vitamin C, vitamin D, and probiotics to help calm your immune response naturally.

Tell your doctor about Functional Medicine and encourage him or her to get trained — go to www.functionalmedicine.org for more information and to get a copy of the Textbook for Functional Medicine.

Give these steps a try — and see if you don’t start feeling less inflamed. As I said earlier, the answers are right in front of you. Treat the underlying causes of your illness and you will begin to experience vibrant health once more.

Now I’d like to hear from you…

Have you been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease?

How is your doctor treating you?

Have you been frustrated by the medical advice that you’ve been given?

What steps have you taken to get to the root of the problem, and what have your results been?

Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below – but remember, we can’t offer personal medical advice online, so be sure to limit your comments to those about taking back our health!

About Mark Hyman, MD

Mark Hyman, MD, believes that we all deserve a life of vitality—and that we have the potential to create it for ourselves. That’s why he is dedicated to tackling the root causes of chronic disease by harnessing the power of Functional Medicine to transform healthcare. He is a practicing family physician, an eight-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and has been a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, the Today Show, CNN, The View, the Katie Couric show and The Dr. Oz Show.

DR. Hyman, I am 66 year old male and have enjoyed EXCELLENT health until last year diagnosed with Sondilotho Arthritus…Effecting mostly my arms, hips and legs! Tried steroid shots, a 2/3months course of Prednisone (made me crazy)and now just began after reading about you, a wheat free diet!
I am looking for a good Dr. like yourself here in Northern Virginia to test me and help heal me from the inside.
Suggestions and help!!!
Many Thanks, James Burns

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. To locate a practitioner of functional medicine in your area see the “Find a Functional Medicine Practitioner” link at the Institute of Functional Medicine website: http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117. Here you will find a place to enter your zip code and look for practitioner’s in your area that have completed the institute’s five-day training course in functional medicine. Understand that not all of the doctors listed here will fit your particular needs. Many different medical professionals complete this training, and you will have to do additional research on your own regarding a particular practitioner’s approach and whether or not it fits your specific medical requirements. This may include calling the practioner’s office, visiting his or her website, and/or scheduling a consultation.

I was diagnosed with bechets. At 42 now I am 54. I get pressure ulcers all over me and now I am suffering from necrosis. It is like glass and rocks come out charcoal black. I live in agony. I am ivig dependent. They let me have a gastric bypass 8 years ago. My top weight was 266. I got down to 140 and then they blew me up with steroid injections. This disease took everthing from me. My profession. My family was ignorant. Then my mother died of cancer. My sister is less then interested and I do not speak to her. My son is just 18. Still acts like a 15 year old. I am very tired. This necrosis by the thousands is killing me.

Thank you for your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I was diagnosed with Gillian barrie syndrome in 2006,It took them so long and I was so far gone at this stage I was paralysed from my left side head to toe and went blind in my left eye my immune system was under attack from e.coli mrsa and cdiff I was intensive care 9 mths and high dependency 1year I also had a paralysed diahpram left side .it is 2014 and I am still fighting it I was told onthe6/5/2014 their is nothing more they can do for me. I have been in and out of hospital more times then I can count I got a trackostemey in which has been removed.i am married with 2 boys and a brilliant wife who is also my carer .I do not smoke or drink and never touched drugs. I had my own business, but lost everything we are living food to mouth.i do not understand why I was never giving a plasmaexchange and only 3 days of ivig.over the years I have found out about the mistakes the doctors made by asking for my full medical reports. I keep on asking why me ,I have been on 9 different antibiotics from jan 2014 to may 2014 and getting worse again the doctors say there is nothing more they can do.please I am only 41years of age I do not want to die like this is there anything you can do I would be so great full..
Deepest Respect
Andrew Carass

Hi Andrew,
Thank you for sharing your story and for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Andrew, Did you get a flu shot before you were diagnosed with Gillian Barrie syndrome? I have seen other stories of this happening. It seems as though it can be a side affect of the flu shot and no one ever tells us this.

Apparently I have had this my whole life. That makes sense. I have been to all the doctors around where I live to no avail.
What you have said makes sense and mine is stress based. Stuff happens and my reaction is different to a lot of peoples reactions. I get stressed.
I will follow your advice as I am quite sick right now and looking for ways to deal with it.
I am very overweight and put on 35 kilos in a couple of years. I was 55 kilos and now am 92 kilos and that is a lot for a short person. I am 58 yrs old and have a lot of living to do and not interested in dying early.
Thanks Kathryn

I have a autoimmune disorder about 3 years now, my immune system atackes my red blood cells .right now i depend on steroids & transfusions , its been a struggle and depressing battle but i have kids & will keep searching for the cure. But after reading this information I feel i have another choice worth of trying, so may God help me .Thanks for this info.

Dr. Hyman,
I am a 54 year old RN who worked ER for 25 years, and have been in same day surgery for 1 1/2 years. So many staff have had unusual cancers, I understand my Hospital, where I have worked 36 years, has been diagnosed with sick building syndrome. I had the final lobe of my thyroid removed Oct. 2 for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and labile TSH and intolerance to meds. I have spent the last 3 days down with weakness, upper belly pain, lower belly cramps, loose stools, and can only tolerate 50mcg Tirosint Levothyroxine. I’m slowly getting better…I also, since my flu shot 2009 that included H1N1, have been diagnosed with Sjogren’s, Lupus, Adrenal Insufficiency, Dysautonomia, and Growth hormone deficiency. Many of the symptoms, which overlap, I have had for many years to a much less severe extent . Last year and again this year I have refused my flu shot. No one has been able to explain the episodes where I have to be flat on my back, when I am up I have the lightheaded, weak, abdominal pain and cramping. I have to work full time, and I never have leave time because I am often ill. I would give anything top be able to be healthy. Oh, and I have Celiac Disease. You would think I would be thin as little as I eat (I have been 5 ft 10 in and 140 pounds most of my life) but for the last several years I have gained weight to the point I now weigh 205 pounds. I eat healthy, take vitamins, vit D, cal/mag/D….It is life changing to feel this lousy and never know until I get up in the morning whether I’m going to be able to remain upright or not. So many days I push through the day with hot flushes, abdominal pain, lightheadedness, and come home and go straight to bed.

Hello Lysa,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I think this is the first logical advice I have heard on autoimmune disease. As with cancer and heart disease, obesity and diabetes, I think diet plays a much bigger role then anyone has suspected, in many of our modern chronic health issues.

I am a really healthy 37 year old that developed increasing hives over the past month. I couldn’t pin point it so I went to an allergy doctor thinking it was stress or allergies. I had noticed an increase in my CRP, but other than that all was good. She immediately put me on prednisone to clear up the hives as well as hydroxyzine and ranitidine to ease the stomach upset of the previous drugs. She then tested me for H.pylori (at my request), thyroid peroxidase antibioties and a few other tests. As of yet only the thyroid peroxidase antibioties have come back slightly elevated. She is pretty confidant I have an autoimmune disorder that will eventually lead to hypothyroidism and possibly cancer. Now I know hypothyroidism is usually hereditary and no one in my family has it, nor do they have any autoimmune disorders. She wants to start me on xolair which is horribly expensive and has a laundry list of side effects. I agree that my problems are probably an infection, stress or allergy related not an autoimmune disease and I am beside myself. I don’t know where to turn or who can help me get to the root of this problem. Any help would be appreciated as I feel helpless and don’t want to take the medication but I’m worried I won’t get better unless I do.

Hi Tonya,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I’ve been diagnosed with ankylosis spondilitis. This is probably the big one but i have some others too. I used to vomit blood for weeks on end and always had a weak stomach. I also have many food allergies. One of them is chicken. I used to be able to eat chicken but one day i couldnt. I now adhere to the paleo diet and i believe i am on the road to recovery. My stomach is as strong as ever and i have had 0 issues with it. I can also eat chicken again….. sounds crazy but true. Next im going to beat my auto immune disease. The diet works because most of my issues could be derived from leaky gut syndrome.

Hi Mike: I too have just been diagnosed with AS. I’m in terrified mode but have a good ND working with me. I’d like to ask you a question. Have you eliminated ALL starch or are you allowing sweet potatoes and small bits of fruit? I definitely have a gut issue as I have had chronic yeast since I was put on high doses of antibiotics for 4 months 2 years ago (for a toe problem that could have been fixed and was fixed in Chiropodist office in two days). I’m on day two…my back pain is bad.

I’m on all the supplements to put out the fire so to speak. I’ve only been taking religiously for a couple of days so my body still on fire. I’m on a very high quality pro-biotic.

I’m quite positive I have leaky gut and am really following an anti-candida diet in addition to alkaline diet.

Thanks for this information. I am hoping that it makes a big difference in my life. I’m glad I didn’t have to pay someone tons of money for healing. I am raising 5 children alone and it’s been stressful. Thanks so much!!
M. Allen

Thank you so much for this information. I have felt horrible for so long with thyroid issues for years now. Dr’s just continue to keep me on the same dose of Levothyroxin and prescribe more and more ant-depressants to cure it all. I had my thyroid killed in 2010 with radio-active iodine and went through many changes. My thyroid levels have been (normal ) despite still having symptoms of thyroid and hormonal imbalance.
I have gradually started feeling worse and having no energy sinus infections and viruses more and more. I feel unwell and low energy and don’t sleep well.
I actually went to see an alternative medicine practitioner and the blood work and consultation was going to cost over $500. I can’t afford this.
I am wanting to try this 9 steps and hopefully will see a difference in my life. I am raising 4 active children alone and it is very stressful.

M. have you been tested for Hashimoto’s? I had my thyroid tested several times and told that it was low-functioning. I tried Armour, Synthroid, a couple different meds to treat thyroid. I finally had a doctor run a complete blood count and was told that I had Hashimoto’s Thyroid. This means my thyroid is fine but my immune system is attacking it. I am looking into treatments now to treat the Hashimoto’s and not the thyroid since it is not the root cause of my symptoms. So far, I have been gluten-free for a year and a half and have noticed a big difference in my symptoms but am seeking out other ways to live healthier and treat the Hashimoto’s. Hope that helps.

Elle I’m in the same boat… I have Hashimoto’s and went gluten free which helped a lot, but then 2 years later I had numbness & tingling in my limbs and my thyroid levels which I had improved by being gluten free, started to regress.

I went to see a Naturopath and I am on month 2 of a candida cleanse (diet change, very similar to Whole 30 but no pork allowed) and well as new rounds of supplements each month (anti-fungals, detoxing minerals & vitamins)… I’m feeling really great and I am back to the weight I was right when I went gluten free.

hei. my name is aija and i also just been diagnosed with the same stuff. i really don’t want to start this hormonal thyroid therapy for the rest of my life. i will start by tar going to alternative doc and testing for all the allergies. i am supper active, eat mostly organic food..but it has not always been like that…i have started recently and i am afraid it has been way too late. i had a baby 2 years ago and since day one i had post natal depression..i guess that was a major cause, coz i was always in huge stress. now i understand it all and see a bigger picture and will start by doing my yoga and compleatly changing the way i eat- no sugar, no grain no milk. lets see, what happens. i so hope i can somehow fix it:(

Im 16 and i have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that makes my hands and feet purple, ice cold, and in pain 14/7. I have purple spiderweb-like veins that run throughout my whole body when it’s cold or even when it’s room temperature. I’m always extremely tired and cannot think straight, and most of the time i’m depressed. My eye sight is getting worse every day and my hair is falling out. I take a lot of vitamins and exercise a lot, and i don’t have any known allergies, yet i cant shake off all the symptoms. my doctor said there’s nothing he can do about it, and he told me to “wear gloves” when my hands are cold. i’m pretty frustrated with his seemingly apathetic attitude. I feel as if i’m stuck in pit i can’t get out of.

I too thank you for the info. I will be trying all nine things. I have been subject to taking med’s for three years now with no clear diagnose maybe sarcodois maybe ana. Why feel me with pills if you don’t know whats wrong with me? So to me all of you point are worth a try. I’ve been itching out of control now for way to long with no answers. Thanks again, I will also be looking for your book.

I was diagnosed last year with autoimmune chronic urticaria. I had never had hives in my life until 3 years ago my body reacted to a sulfa drug, and I was hospitalized. Now all the allergy doctor says is to take prednisone. So, I’ve gained 30 lbs in the past 3 years, and am constantly trying to figure out what I can and can’t eat in order to prevent more hives. It is hard for me to believe that someone just wakes up one day and has hives for the rest of their life. Please help.

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

Hi Amy,
I too have “hives” all of a sudden that seem to come out of nowhere. I thought it was because I had just returned from the Carribean and from Florida ( as Moody Blues Cruise ), because I had never been to either before and maybe I picked up something from there or my body was introduced to something new. I have very sensitive skin and my body seems to put up its radar when introduced to new things and even though I used a heavy duty sunscreen, I still ended up with a sunburn. The sunburn was very itchy on the inside of my left knee. At the time, I thought that my hives now were related to the carribean sun or that I had been bit by the “No-see-ums”… but that was not the case. It has been about 6 weeks now and I get hives on my lower legs and it is now spreading to my thighs. I went to the dermtologist who told me to take an antihistamine which should calm down the histamine reaction (Zyrtec). She mentioned to me that it is likely an autoimmune response. I need to go get Zyrtec and find out if that helps. The hives come and go and are apparent in the mornings and in the evenings. Putting ice packs inside of a clean pillow case and applying it to my hives helps calm them down. Usually they appear as pink round raised hives, sometimes alone, sometimes in a grouping, but don’t have a center to them like a bite or a pimple would. My first symptom is that my legs will burn… then the bumps appear and I then scratch them and they get darker pink and more raised and spread abit, so I try not to scratch them and ignore them – but it is so difficult to ignore them. But I, like you…. feel it is hard to believe that someone just wakes up one day and has hives. I thought it was some of the foods I eat: tomatoes, avocados, strawberries, coffee… but I tested those out to rule them out of my diet for a while and the hives still showed up. I changed my laundry detergent and fabric softener sheets, use dove sensitive soap, not too hot water for showers followed by spraying cold water on my legs before getting out of the shower and only patting my legs dry with a towel, not rubbing. It drives me nuts that I still have them. So zyrtec might be the way to go as a daily regimine – in the morning. I do take liquid vitamin D3 daily and need to start taking again… fish oil Omega 3. I eat right… lots of vegetables, an apple a day and a few other fruits through-out the week, not a lot of carbs,and I eat lean meats, chicken, fish and have increased my water daily to 1 glass per each 10 lbs of body weight. I also walk a mile a day on the weekends and now the weather is better so I walk at night after work too. I use my eliptical, just had a knee replacement and am just trying to be healthier – I don’t smoke and I am a 55 year old woman. So, without spending a lot of cash on products, try the over the counter Zyrtec. I tried benadryl but it didn’t seem to help right away… I only take at night cuz it makes me drowsy. let’s see… what else… calamine lotion helped because it has zinc in it, but I don’t want to have to apply that all the time… also A&D cream with zinc helps too. Let me know what your results are! HOpe to hear back from you, Amy.
Peace,
Coby

Coby,
What have you found out? My husband’s symptoms sound so much like yours. He has doctored & doctored…we just can’t afford all the meds & Dr appts that don’t work. Please tell me if you have found an answer! Thank-You!

Hi, I’m a 35 years old female who has been diagnosed with chronic IBS. I have many episodes of diarrhea & soft stool within a few minutes of eating that left my stomach jumpy, burning, and in pain. I spend a lot of time (30-45 minutes) in the bathroom. I missed quite a lot of days from work (I have FMLA) and the quality of my life has diminished. I feel exhausted.

I have a had a colonoscopy, antibiotics, stool samples with more testing to go (blood work, GI tract), but in the meantime what can I do to “get back to normal?” I don’t feel comfortable eating out at family, friends, restaurants because I may need to be in the bathroom for a while.

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

I completely sympathize with your situation because I went through the same thing. A local doctor here just labeled my symptoms IBS, and after a lot of suffering I went to see Dr. Hyman a couple years ago. They did a Metametrix test that revealed I had a couple stomach parasites (Blastocystic Hominis and something else).

I did an antibiotic course prescribed by my local doctor, and it made everything ten times worse. I tried natural herbs and some strong probiotics as well, and that did not work either. Blasto is notoriously difficult to get rid of.

I stumbled on a probiotic called Dr. Ohhira’s, and it saved my life. I endured 6 months of hell, and after taking this for a couple months my symptoms slowly started to improve. I’ve been tested three times and all tests came back negative. I am now pretty much symptom free.

My Son was diagnosed with Auto Immune hepatitis 6 years ago, I was able to get him off the medicines for these past 5 years. Now he is having intestinal problems, he took antibiotic around Xmas and has been miserable since. We are starting the elimination diet, and the doctor ordered a colonoscopy. My fear is they will put him on lots of medicines again, the doctor even partial placed the blame on me for taking him off the medicine. I’ve been feeling very guilty, I’m glad I came across your blog, it gives me hope Thanks

Hi there Hymann staff, my name is Garry crossan im 32 years old and have ankalosing spondilytis, formally Reiters syndrome, i had caught the S,t,d chlamydia for an ex partner, and my body went into crazy overdrive for six months they called it reactive arthritis or reiters syndrome! It was so bad i couldn’t even get out of bed, i was in so much pain i wanted to die! The doctor gave me antibiotics to kill the infection and it helped for about 2 weeks the my body just went crazy every joint in my body had swollan up like balloons, i suffered for months not being able to work or even walk, i just woke up one day & had enough! So i fasted for about two weeks on water and some fruit juice, it was agonizing i had nightmares and hallucinations, heavy paranoia and sweating but by the end it had gone i had shut my body down in my mind so it couldn’t keep whatever was wrong alive with’in me to this day i fully understand what happened but i know i healed my self at that time! For over 5 yaers i was healthy and pain free, then out the blue i.had pains in my chest plate which spread within weeks to my spine and pelvis it was back, this time ankalosing spondilytis 2 years now agony again now im a prescription pill addict im so depressed as i have a son aged 2 and cant work or live as normal again i am really struggling with the thought of fasting again as i know it was the hardest thing ive experienced in life, and now i know i.will have with drawl thrown in the mix, i am scared do you have any advice please! Thanks for your time,.kind regards Garry Crossan

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

Dear Gary;
I feel for the pain and suffering you are experiencing. I think that you should have a look at the excellent research by Gut-mediated and HLA-B27-associated Arthritis: An Emphasis on Ankylosing Spondylitis and Crohn’s Disease with a Proposal for the Use of New Treatment
Published on September 12, 2011 by
Author: Taha Rashid. In her paper she discusses the importance of looking at infections that are related to the occurance of ankylosing spondylitis, commonly Klebsiella. Occurrence of severity of symptoms parallels the bacterial load of intestinal Klebsiella–often asymptomatically. This might offer you some hope for treatment to erradicate the root cause of your illness if you happen to be HLA-B27 posative, of which many people with AS are. Good luck. Perhaps you could print the paper to take to a functional medicine enlightened physician.

Hi Gary, I hope that you are doing well.
I have read your story about AS and it is very similar to what my brother is experiencing. He too was diagnosed with AS, he too has a 2 yr old son, and what pains me the most is that he cannot fully enjoy his life with his son, like he used to, and I know that is what hurts him the most too. I was wondering how you are doing and what advice you can give my brother that will help him. Best Regards Seb.

After insisting a depression diagnosis wasn’t correct, my physician tested me for and confirmed that I have Hashimotos. After several years of ever increasing my synthroid as the cure, I’m taking 175 mcg daily and still experience all the symptoms of hashimotos So I have decided to seek out some other advice and guidance while I continue to take my synthroid. I have read that going gluten free may alleviate some of my symptoms, but there is so many different offerings and suggestions on what to do and what not to do. I want to put out the fire and not just divert the smoke as Dr. Hyman states. I would appreciate knowing what diet he would recommend and any other courses of action that I can pursue. I live in Canada and some of the testing is more difficult to obtain. Please HELP. thanks

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

Hi Kellee. With regards to your problems with issues with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis I would draw your attention to the excellent article Selenium Supplementation in Patients with Autoimmune Thyroiditis Decreases Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies Concentrations by
Roland Gärtner, Barbara C. H. Gasnier, Johannes W. Dietrich, Bjarne Krebs and Matthias W. A. Angstwurm at http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/87/4/1687.full. Perhaps you should take this article to your Functional Medicine specialist to see if you might tested to see if you also have a deficiency of selenium.

This sounds exactly like me! I’m 29 years old, live in Canada and have had this same thyroid condition for 8 years. I am up to 175 mcG of Synthroid just like you and I’m finally trying to find another alternative. Before this point I never thought it was curable. I lost I hope until I read this article. Now I’m encourage to try and find the problem and heal my autoimmune disease.

I was diagnosed Hashimoto 2.5 years ago. After being treated as thyroid disease. There are many support groups and websites. Stop the Thyroid Madness and The Root Cause are books written by Hashimoto patients. Autoimmune protocol diet treated my illness by eliminating and reintroducing foods to see what triggered my my discomfort. It changed my eating habits (positively) and I will never go back.There are also blogs, Hashimoto411 is one of many where they can direct you to functional doctors and help you get answers to your symptoms. I don’t take all the advice, but what I gave learned changed my life for the better.

I have been diagnosed with auto immune condition too. But as you state since its not progressed enough they have not been told of a specifictype. Just in monitoring. I do have hypothyroidism for which I am taking Levithyroid tablets, I have renauds. But my chest and other condition came out ok. I have been losing weight but since I exceise regularly (cardio) Dr just find me fit and ignore the condition. I have started developing joint pains. That come and go….I am worried if things are going to get worse and if I am losing teh opportunity to get it fixed early on. I am total vegetarian by diet and a dont take alchol either. But sugar and coffee are my weakness.

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

I have allergies dust grass trees. Winter has been really bad for me. Severe asthma flares from bleach, candles, cats and dogs. I am trying to start allergy shots in hopes to lesson flares. But bleach is everywhere. So when I get exposed I go on predisone. Rescue inhalers donot work. Can’t get out of this horrible cycle since thanksgiving. I am working with natural doctor. Doing probiotics and vitamins. I need help with these flares. Are allergy shots ok?

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

i am 21 yrs old boy . Within a couple of months i found a sudden discoloration and mild white patches on my skin . I referred many websites to find right cause of disease and i found it to be vitiligo.
vitiligo , in many cases is caused by autoimmune.

can you kindly guide me and suggest me some solution to treat or even control it at early stages..

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

Thank you for your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

Thank you for publishing your knowledge of autoimmune disorders, their cause, and possible treatments. My son has exhibited food allergies since he was 5months old. Severe eczema since he was 3 months old. We have been through many MDs including a 3 week clinic in Germany. He has been on a rotation diet since he was 9 months old. We have pursued alternative health care in 2011 and have seen advances but he is still a very sick 3 year old. suffering from intense chronic itching and many food allergies.

It takes courage to speak out and offer new and better alternatives to medicate and send home. Thank you for that

I read your thread, makes sense as i have been suffering Gastrits (Imflation in the stomach lining) for past 5 years and tired of trying several prescribed and over the counter medication for reducing acid into my stomach, whenever I asked doctor about diet or anything to cure this, i got the same answer that keep taking this medication and you will get better one day. Now depressed because of scary side effects of this medication since i have been taking this for long time but i don’t have any option at the moment, I would like to know how will I find out that I’m having AutoImmune Disorder. In my case I don’t have H.Pylori bacteria responsible for this cause. I think stress can play major role, I’m trying to stay relax and clam as much as possible but not been able to cure this, I’m hoping your thread will make difference in my case. please advice me how would i approach to find out about AutoImmune disorder and to cure it.

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work. Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advise in this forum. However, there is a lot you can learn about for how to cool inflammation and heal your body on the site and in his books. Especially The Blood Sugar Solution! Check it out: http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to: http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

To any of you suffering any form of gastritis or heartburn, I strongly recommend that whilst you are waiting for a miracle cure from your doctors (I was on double doses of Nexium twice a day and even given it via IV in hospital with 2 endoscopies requiring polyp removal within less than 12 months of each other!), you might like to try something that not only worked for me, but also anyone who bothered to try my advice.

Before and/or after you eat anything, have an apple or even just a slice. Before you dismiss this, you have to understand that it has been proven and there is even people trying to make money out of it via the net by getting you to subscribe to find out ‘which’ apples. Well my advice is free; ANY apples work, although the green ones are not as effective as the reds. It took me about 3 weeks before there was any major improvement however, during those 3 weeks my foods/fluids stopped feeling like ignited bleach going down my throat. That was 8 years ago. I recently had another endoscopy and was informed there were no polyps and all was normal….my first normal endoscopy!

At the end of the day, you have nothing to lose by eating a fruit that is good for you one way or another. I hope this helps.

Hi Dr Hyman and staff,
I am female 53 and was diagnosed with CREST syndrome and Sjogrens syndrome 12 years ago. Raynauds is quite bad in the winter months but otherwise ok. What is worse is the scleroderma which has made my fingers fat and stiff and unable to make a fist, especially in the mornings. The worst of all is the esophagitis. I suffer daily from burning in my chest if I don’t take the 40mg of Nexium a day the doctor has presscribed, which he wants to increase to 60mg as I have ulcers in my esophagus. I hate taking this drug as it makes me bloated and full of gas and I believe it is very bad for my bones as well. I have been taking it daily now for 12 years. Can you please give me any advise on what I can do, diet or otherwise, to get off this drug and to stop the acid burning me on a daily basis when I don’t take it. I’m at my wits end.
Thanks and regards
Sophie

I am writing to tell you about my husband..He is 85 years old was diagnosed with Bullous Pemphigoid and that its autoimmune disease..He has this over a year and its not getting better..Hes on antibiotics and prednisone ..they help for a while as long as he is taking prednisone..as soon as he is off of prednisone it flares up again.I would like to hear what you have to say about this.. Thank you..

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

I am from India doctor and I never knew there is a way out of an auto immune disease. I had Primary Complex when I was three and at the age of eight the doctors noticed a swelling in my throat in a passport photograph of mine and diagnosed me with Hypothyroidism. I have never had any weight gain and am thin and fairly tall for a girl (5’10”) so the symptoms of a hypothyroid patient weren’t there even though I have to admit I did sleep a lot!
I have been on artificial thyroid hormone for 13 years now & want to be off it but the allopathic doctors in the Military Hospital say there is no chance of that ever and I have a lifelong dependency.
Your comments Doctor?
& like I mentioned I’m from India.

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

Hi, You’re articles are fantastic. I have had Fibromyalgia and Thyroid Disease for 15yrs and despite visits to every natural health expert under the sun – no success. The fact that my job is severely stressful doesnt help. For the past 9mths I have been eating clean, organic, had mercury fillings removed and am now doing yoga. The pain has decreased, however after the first 10kgs, my weight has plateaued for 7mths! It will not budge.
How long do you think it will take for my body to heal and let go of the weight. Apart from the pain it is the only other sign i have that my body is improving.
Thanks
Cherie

Congrats on your success thus far! Because functional medicine is not a one-size-fits all approach to health, we would need to know more about you to better help you understand your healing process. Unfortunately Dr. Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum.
For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to: http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center, please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com. This site is designed to give prospective patients a comprehensive source of information about The UltraWellness Center. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637-9991.

I have watched you every week for a while on public television. I am a 49 yr. old female that was diagnosed 1 year ago with Hashimoto Disease, after gaining weight and feeling very tired and depressed. I had not been to a Doctor in over 20 years so for me to go was a signal about how bad I felt. The Doctor said it probably was in my head which made me feel more depressed. She did order a blood test though. My cholesterol levels were very high which was an indication of Hashimotos. I was put on thyroid medication. At first I was put on generic and I had alot of pain and tingling in my extremities. My endo acted like this was in my head , but prescribed regular thyroid meds. I am not obese, so I feel that the Doctors do not listen to me. My endo said that blood test do show inflamation and I am on 112 mg and she says I should be on lower dosages, but my thyroid levels she cant get regulated. Prior to being diagnosed I exercised regularly and felt great. My good cholesterol is over 100,but my combined is 275. I am going to try eliminating certain foods in diet. I just threw out potato chips and M&ms. I did notice that in the Summer months I lost weight that I had gained and felt better. In the winter months I put back on the weight and I have more joint pain. What kind of protein drinks should we drink on your plan? Many have sugars or additives.

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work. Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice to help you understand how to use food to heal a thyroid imbalance, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

Dear Hyman Staff,
INdeed this is what i’m been looking for. Have PSA for the last 3 years and have been on Humira for the past 1 1/2 year. From the side effects, i have very painful burning jock itch, yeast and fungal attack out of control on my toe nail. I’ve been trying eat organic vegan diet and exercise daily. i will try yoga when ever there is chance. IS there any doctor in the San Francisco Bay area that on functional medicine? Do they accept any type of insurance? THis is what i’ve looking for. MY Psoractic Arthritis has been killing my joints in my finger and toes. My energy has decrease and memory loss in increasing. AT times i feel like i have some kind of worm crawling in side my body but all the western doctor that i’ve visit say it’s nothing or not to be concern about. I will definitely take this 9 steps whole hearty.

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to: http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

Hi there. I had radioactive iodine treatment done mid 2012 due to overactive thyroid that caused severe shakes. At times I could not hold a glass of water. After the treatment the symptoms stopped quite quickly and I started taking Eltroxion in October 2012. Have gained significant weight. Was previously stable at 104kg for many years and increased to 118 in a short period of time. Dosage of Eltroxin is now 125mg per day and T4 seems well poised. Currently have severe pains in my joints that flare up in a matter of hours and disappears within a day. These joint pains are very severe and immobilise me completely. What is going on ????

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

I have had a form of eczema/psoriasis… no doctor has ever been clear about which it might be or really what to call it other then these two. The main issue is swollen red itchy bumps usually on the tops of my hands and has got so bad to the point it had covered my inter body excluding only small portions of my torso. I have lived with this for the past 12 years trying all the treatments I have found with out any long term results. I have used prescription creams and gels, herbal remedies, changed my eating, taken supplements, was diagnosed with leaky gut and went on a cleanse to treat that in hopes it would be the solution to my skin disorder, and also worked with a nutritionist to treat the problem. No results to date. I’ve not given up. But is there any ideas out there that might lead me in the right direction and what to try next?
Thank you, Julie

Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

My question is regards to Auto Immune based inflammation. It is a chicken/ egg question that I am trying to figure out. My husband been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (Pan) and with AI disorders, My hubbys MD keep saying to me that foods have no effect on the disease. Huh?

My husband loves the MDs answer so he can continue to eat foods I know are causing him harm. I keep saying that the foods my not have “Caused” the UC (although thats not my belief- I think unknown allergies coupled with genetic predisposition coupled with continued agitation), but stress management coupled with knowledge of possible allergenic contributors can only help. My husband thinks its a waste of time and I say it is worth approaching and stating an elimination plan as outlines dby UltraMetabolism. Can I get some thoughts, support , articles, suggestions?

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

I suffer from both of these maladies. I wish Dr. Hyman would write something about them.
Meanwhile, I am going to follow his general protocol to improve my nutrition.
I take a regimen of vitamins and homeopathic remedies so improved nutrition can only help!

I have 2 episodes (4 years apart) of coughing up blood for 4-7days each each episode. First time the doc gave abx n bleeding stopped.
after the 2nd episode (again abx given) more tests were done and am told that i have autoimmune disease – diffuse alveolar bleeding.
what can i do to undo the autoimmune attacks?

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

I was diagnosed with Scleritis 2 years ago, in my right eye. Scleritis is an auto-immune condition where the immune system attacks the whites of your eyes. I was on steroids (prednislone) for 6 months and after slowly reducing the dose the Scleritis disappeared. I had 6 months of peace before it came back in December 2012. This time it was in my left eye and more severe than before. I have been on 15mg of Prednoslone since November and have had 5 IV drips of 500mg of Pred to try and shut everything down. As a result of the IV prednoslone a bone infection developed in my foot and i had to have my middle toes amputated at the weekend. I saw my eye consultant tonight and he wants to start me on Mycrophenolate. I have agreed to this having resisted it previously. I have been tested for all the major auto-immune diseases, all negative. I am seeing a Nephrologist tomorrow night to rule out kidney disease. I am totally at my wits end!

I have struggled for about six years with lots of symptoms I never had before. My doctor kept dismissing my complaints so I kept pursuing him but he adamantly claimed it was all in my head and I really only needed anti-depressants, as well as pain meds and sleep aids. I always refused but kept pushing him to test for other stuff. After four years of suffering I went to a naturapath who then did allergy testing and that certainly helped. By eliminating dairy, beef, gluten and eggs I was able to calm my body’s inflammation greatly but still couldn’t be as active as I was in the past because it affected my lung function as well. My conventional doctor was so mad that I had spent money to see a naturapath that he finally told me he didn’t like me as a patient and admitted to not treating me seriously. I switched doctors and saw a rheumatologist that confirmed I have Sjogren’s, Reynaud’s, and RA and I am now on the path to healing as I have also just finished my first semester of my Registered Holistic Nutritionist course! Thanks for all for the great info.!

Hi
My two grown up children have devastating autoimmune conditions. My daughter had premature ovarian failure at age 16 and my son has just been diagnosed with crohns disease.
There must surely be a link.
Reading this article really makes me want to explore the causes/reasons before my son is pumped full of steroids and immunosuppressant drugs.
I need to know who I can go to in the UK for help.
Does Dr Hyman have any contacts here who are doing similar work?
Thanks

I am a 18yr old male,i have been told by doctors that I have chronic itp.i have lost everything I have worked for .scholarships ,athletic scholarships cause my platlet count is staying around 10, they have told me there is nothing they can do,and there is no cure .I could use some help….if u would please give me some advice,my blood work is absolutely fine other than the low platlets….im at the end of my rope with this….I need some help please…..they just want me to sit and wait until something else goes wrong….please im scared…I don’t want to die from waiting around and doing nothing…thank you McCullen…….

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet. If you wish to locate a practitioner of functional medicine in your area see the “Find a Functional Medicine Practitioner” link at the Institute of Functional Medicine website: http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117.

Hi McCullen. I, too have chronic ITP. I have had IVIG treatments, months of Prednisone, and finally after 3 years of refusing surgery and having a count of 3 or less, I succumbed to a splenectomy. It didn’t work and one week post surgery my count was back to 3. I was back on the prednisone again. A year and a half ago I ended up in a Naturopath’s office. The natural doctor was amazing. Over the course of 3-4 months she diagnosed leaky gut and gluten sensitivities. Removing gluten eliminated pain in my abdomen I hadn’t realized wasn’t normal since I’ve had it all my life! Fast forward to one year later: my latest platelet counts, which were constantly in the teens to low 30’s, are now 57, then the following month, 70, then last month, 81 ! Healing my gut seems to be putting me on the path to healing my autoimmune disease! It’s a slow process, but it’s progress and it ISN’T drugs and their horrendous side effects. I am looking to the day where I no longer have ITP, and I truly believe it’s coming!

Hi Doctor Hyman, Thank you for this advice, after a couple of years at full tilt with bereavement, anger, physical and emotional upheavel and all sorts of life traumas going on around me, my health has taken a huge nose-dive this last year and I seem to be a bit lost.
I’ve been on UK arthritus drugs for nearly 25 odd years (Celebrex), along with Paracetamol and Aspro to boost it’s effect but last year the pain got so bad the hospital rechecked my symptoms and said I never EVER had arthritus but think I have fibromyalgia/ME and that I was mis-diagnosed! – I was not sure if I should sue or be happy! – I ceased the treatment & am now unable to take Paracetamol or Aspro as my system won’t accept them anymore. The hospital prescribed Amytriptyline for my ‘FM’. That was 8 months ago and since then I’ve gone onto Dulcolex and lastly Gabapentin – each one I had to stop after a month as the side effects were pretty bad -nausea, headaches, dizzyness, inability to ‘wake’ up, drowsiness, depression and eczema. Each time the symptoms got worse and worse until I was waking up each morning with a migraine and spending my time detoxing between meds and trying to rip the skin off my face, neck and arms while it wept with eczema. I am like a burns victim at the mo and best of all, none of the drugs ever stopped original pain!
I found that my doc just churned out tablets like a conveyor belt and was not really interested in whether they worked or not, even when I phoned to tell him the latest with my current meds and that I was coming off them. He offered no other help and it sounded like he basically closed the case and left me to it ( I suppose as it was my decision to come off them) – it’s just my luck I have a naff doctor but I Honestly, I think these meds are trying to kill me! My eczema has now overtaken every other thing that I thought I could not cope with, and nothing that they prescribe is doing Anything at all to help it… It’s more painful and deadly than my original pain and it’s driving me absolutely nuts.
I took an ‘executive decision’ last week to come off everything and just live with my original pain, but none of the side effects are going away and seem to be getting worse! I’m a young 60yr old female and care for my 90 yr old dad. My stress levels are probably off the planet anyway and I try to tip-toe around myself and not get too stressed but Ultimately I’m not sure WHAT is triggering it. I am a life-long vegetarian, I try to not eat junk or sugar, salt, wheat blah, but really there is just too much information confusion out there with what you can and can’t do and basically I was just about to give up, but Seeing your blog helped! I will try and do each of your suggestions. I doubt I’ll be going back to my doc or my hospital, but will do some more research and try and get some of your book suggestions here in the UK if I can. Before seeing this, I did think that my immune system was definitely dying on me so it’s good to find some sensible direction with which to start from. It’s time to do it myself! Thank you Doc! All the Best, Barb x

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. If you are interested in another approach and wish to locate a practitioner of functional medicine in your area see the “Find a Functional Medicine Practitioner” link at the Institute of Functional Medicine website: http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117.

Dy Hyman, I am 45 years old and have an auto-immune tissue disease. I can barely sleep at night, and my body is constantly in pain (my joints) – I also have a condition of arthritis. I feel tired and sore all the time. Doctors here cant help me. I am from Australia and willing to fly anywhere in the world to a doctor who can help – looking forward to your reply.

Dear Staff member, I am a 55 year young, Hispanic grandmother. In 2004, I was sent to the local MDA clinc to muscle weakness. As of today, I still ave not been given a diagnosis from them. As recently as 2 weeks ago, I went to a neurologist to get a second opinion, and given a EMG test. All muscles should to have normal responses. The MD Dr wanted me on Mexiltine, which I refuse to take because I have been extremely weak and had constipation, abdominal bloating and gas. I get sick , tired weak after i eat, to the point i am afraid to eat. Then I went to see a rheumatologist,who said I have an auto immune disease, again…no diagnosis. She wanted me on Azathioprine and Pravastatin, which again I refuse to take. I have been hospitalized 3 times in 2 weeks for weakness ( low potassium ) and CHF.
I am pretty much bedridden, maybe 85-90 % of the time and am so frustrated that no one can seem to help. I have a pacemaker, had Cushings ( right adrenal gland removed )in 1991; and just yesterday, was told that my left kidney is blocked with scar tissue due to an ablation for a mass found in Aug last year. That kidney is no longer working. So here I am, all Drs seem to have no clue, and have thrown their arms in the air. My own PCP told my husband that we might need to think about putting me in a nursing home. That is the last straw. I have a good day every once in awhile, so this nursing home idea is so ridiculous. Any suggestions?….

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

I am 51 yr old female and have a dead bone in my knee..they say it is because of an autoimmune dissorder but are not sure what i am being tested for lupus.I have been prescribed meds for this but i havent taken them as i dont want to take it untll i am sure that is what i have..I have been eating gluten free for the past 2 months and i am starting to take more vitamins and fish oils..what else can i do. any suggestions

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s a few of years ago. Not having medical insurance I waited till I had no energy, my feet and legs ached in the mornings, I was overweight, I was experiencing mental fogginess and I had a noticeable swelling in my neck before seeking medical attention.

Lab test results showed very low vitamin D levels. A fine needle biopsy came back inconclusive and I had the right half of my thyroid surgically removed. I was prescribed a thyroid supplement. When I asked about making any changes to my diet I was told that diet didn’t have anything to do with this disorder and that I should just take the medication. Wrong answer!

Doing my own research online I found out the foods that are considered goitergenic and have since limited them. After more research, I came across the studies done in Europe linking gluten to autoimmune disorders and have since eliminated gluten from my diet. Wanting to support my thyroid I have begun eating three Brazil nuts a day. I do yoga once a week and my current job has me up and moving rather than confined to a desk.

After all these changes I am no longer taking the prescription thyroid drugs. The majority of my symptoms have resolved but lately I have begun experiencing joint and muscle pain and earlier this winter, I had a prolonged bout of depression.

My monetary resources are limited so my food/diet choices are also limited. I receive medical care through the VA system and cannot demand certain tests to be run. I would like to be able to live without pain within a budget. Is such a thing possible?

I am a 41year old female. My blood tests had showed +protein, and +SSA. That had been Sept/1012. Up until then, my main complaint was that I became very fatigued as I got closer to my menstral cycle. Three weeks out of the month, I stayed very tiered. My obgyn put me on the pill and refered my to a rumotologist after blood work showed +protein (RA). My rhemotologist then perfomed additional blood work that showed the +SSA also. He prescribed me Plaquanil, 200mg 2Xday. I am researching on my the causes and triggers of why I have recently been diagnosed. Up til my diagnosis, I have been a healthy individual. I have begun to cut out certain foods and sugars and try to fallow different advices that I have read on the subject. My concern is the long term effects of taking the Plaquanil and then the effect that from the fatigue, occasional joint pain (my doctor said that it could be from athletic injuries) I have not had any other symptoms from what I have read. I would appreciate any other information that you may provide me with or a starting point in addition to what I have read on this page. Thank you.

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work with AI. Because Dr Hyman cannot provide personalized medical advice in this forum it is probably best for you to check out The UltraSimple Diet to get started or you might even really enjoy The Blood Sugar Solution too- both are appropriate for your goals. http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com or store.ultrasimplediet.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

Glad to find your website. After going to family doctor and derm, I felt hopeless about my condition of hair loss. I had dieted/exercised and lost 35 lbs in about 3 mo. After a few months, I began to lose my hair and developed anxiety. No one had an answer for me. I saw a functional medicine doctor a month ago and looking forward to my follow-up visit to review lab results. It was very expensive, but health is worth it. My mother has vitilago and brother has psoriasis. My weight loss and/or anxiety may have triggered an autoimmune disorder. I also had started smoking 2 yrs ago due to the stress. I’ve read that smoking can also be a trigger. I’m hoping my new doctor will help me to identify the problem and restore my health. I hope to provide positive information at a later date.

Been suffering with LGS for 4 years…stopped going to doctors after being misdiagnosed for 2 1/2 yrs…been healing myself…making great strides but hit a plateau…still 15lbs underweight, some hives, rashes, blotches and still allergic/sensitive to over 40 foods.

Just found a website with a product call DigestaCure (digestaqure.com)…multiple testimonials claim complete cure to every condition, illness, disease, ailment…endorsed by Dr Drucker…started the product today…the claims are that this product ‘turns off the switch’ that is making the immune system attack healthy tissue. All of my research over the years and their studies all point to that this is my missing link.

Very excited…wanted to pass the info on to Dr Hyman. Also, I found that the antibiotics for h.pylori are very harmful and don’t always work BUT an ingredient in Pepto Bismal (I forget the name…I think it’s a-bysmith) kills it…2 tsps 4x daily for 2 weeks. Also Mastic Gum kills the h.pylori bacteria…I use it as a maintenance.

Love Dr Hyman’s reports…exciting to be hearing more and more about Functional Medicine becoming mainstream. BUT like you mentioned above…not all FM doctors know what they’re doing. Do your homework:)

I’m a Type 1 Diabetic, Under Active Thyroid and Gluten Intolerant. Recently I’ve taken steps to follow the paleolicthic diet under the watchful eye of a practioner who is herself autoimmune and educated in paleo eating regimes. Being autoimmune and diabetic, gluten intolerant and low thyroid I have also restricted:

eggs (Omega 6 which cause inflamation and protein which is similar to hormone producing organ tissues)

dairy products (Casein which is milk protein similar to pancreas tissue)

grains (as all grains have vegetable protein similar to body tissues))

all legumes, nuts and seeds (again due to the amount of Omega 6 and vegetable proteins).

I have been feeling better than I ever have for over 30 years and I am certain it is because for that amount of time the medical profession and dietians have instructed me to upload myself with carbs and protein in order to stabilise the highs and lows of blood glucose levels caused by pumping huge amounts of animal and man made insulins.

I now not only understand but also appreciate that Omega 3, Vitamin D and Zinc are vital in managing inflamation in the gut and the rest of the body. I’m still very new at this but am so happy my over all healthy, mental claridty and energy levels have improved so much in so little time.

I loved reading your site Dr Hyman and hope that all autoimmune people and their families are able to get a hold of this valuable information.

I have primary Sjogren’s Syndrome which was triggered by long term exposure to Aspergillus mold (Mycotoxins). I have been taking fish oil for about a month and I have gotten significantly worse. This is not a coincidence. Before I was diagnosed, I would take fish oil, feel my wrists start to hurt, some eyebrows fell out, other weird things, and then stop it and got better (didn’t know about inflammation or autoimmune disease at the time, just did it for good health, but noticed the connection). My doctor said that fish oil helps with autoimmune disease so I started it again a month ago and now I am WAY WAY worse than ever. Why is that? Same exact thing happens with Curcumin. It is supposed to be a great anti-inflammatory but it gets my symptoms and my health WAY worse. So, I guess I am wondering if I am some freak of nature. Fish oil, curcumin, any anti inflammatory herbal treatment makes me significantly worse.

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. We can’t responsively diagnose why you are having the symptoms you are over the internet. You might consider consulting a practitioner of functional medicine in your area see the “Find a Functional Medicine Practitioner” link at the Institute of Functional Medicine website: http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117.

Over 10-15 years I developed symptoms of ill health similar to the case Dr. Hyman describes. As my weight increased to about 35 pounds over high school weight, I gradually developed ‘metabolic syndrome’ symptoms. ‘Bad’ cholesterol wasn’t too high, but ‘good’ cholesterol levels were very low. I had episodes of faintness. Loss of energy, etc. Then the joint pain began first in the achilles tendons (alternately) then the toe joints, the hip joint (left), the knee joints (mostly in the left knee and once in a while would subside and move to the right knee. I also had burning, watery eyes, a dry inflammed nose, a stiff lower back, itchy outer ear canal, scaling on my head, patches of loose skin on my arms, itchy crotch, etc.

I went to my G.P. and was referred to a rheumatologist at a teaching hospital nearby. He eventually diagnosed ‘psoriatic arthritis’ and prescribed hydroxychoroquine. Which after a while worked and my knee pain subsided and the swelling in the knee went almost back to normal. The other symptoms remained though.

I have a son with G6PD disease and to make it easier for my wife to prepare meals, I agreed to try a very simple diet. Bean free (for the G6PD) and also gluten free and soy (bean) free.

I lost 35 pounds, my energy levels rose immensely, my chronic fatigue disappeared, my ear itch disappeared, the ankylosing spondylitis in my back is mostly gone (people say ‘I walk like my Dad…who I think also had it), the knee joint pain is gone, no pain in the achilles tendons, the eye irritation (which I think was anterior uveitis) is under control, the rhinitis is under control, the diarhea and irritable bowel syndrome is gone and my stools are like they were when I was young. My skin has gone from being dry to being moist and supple. I’m 67 and it had begun losing its elasticity; some of the elasticity is back and when I ‘pinch an inch’ the skin quickly goes back down to lie flat. My fingernails still have ridges in them, but when I cut them, they’re no longer brittle. The crotch itch is mostly gone. I have no problems with athletes foot, or other skin conditions. My gut doesn’t feel irritated all the time. My mood is way up!

Did I mention that I don’t need to take the immunosuppresants anymore? Nor the anti-inflammatories. Nor the pill to make it so my stomach could withstand the ulerative effects of the anti inflammatories.

I think I’m also seeing some ‘neurological symptoms’ subside; I had ‘periodic limb movement’ and took/still take dopamine precursor for it. I also have/had ‘essential tremor’. I still take the dopamine but have noticed my essential tremor seems to be better, and my sleep remains very good (no night time waking, as long as I lay off caffeine and/or alcohol).

I’m a 66 year old man, and I feel better than I have for ever felt in the last 30 years.

My plan is to continue to eat a ‘very diverse diet’ keeping simple carbohydrate levels down, eating lots of vegetables and fruit, eating a moderate level of all kinds of meat, avoiding the ‘preserved meats’ (and anything with preservatives in it…I figure if they can preserve something in a cardboard box for 6 months , they probably ‘preserve’ the food in the inside of my gut). I’m going to be a lot easier on my gut from now on…I understand that it’s tough, but not as tough as it needs to be for the junk that the food industry puts into its products.

I still have a small amount of inflammation (lower back, eyes, nose, an occasional feeling of something not totally right in my left knee) so I’m continuing to find ways to heal, by keeping my diet extremely balanced (no eating too much rice pasta at one sitting for example), by keeping my mood up, by keeping busy with social activities and fun work activities (I run a stressful small business), by avoiding too much alcohol or coffee, etc.

I agree with Dr. Hyman. In my experience, modern medicine uses drugs to extinguish or cover up symptoms, without treating underlying causes.

There’s only so much “modern medicine as it’s currently practiced” can do to treat (cover up) the results of the plentiful, but poor quality diet that most North Americans consume.

I was wondering in regards to viral infections how to treat auto immune diseases. I am new to any type of health promblems. I believe I have contracted HSVII. I didn’t have a classic “outbreak” and have to wait 16 weeks for blood work to show positive. I have developed eye lid swelling (only at night) I have thyroid pain, and have been burping a lot more since this encounter. So, you say to find what the problem is. Well HSVII is all that I know of that could be causing this much stress to my body. There is no cure so am I just doomed for life? Should supressive therapy help? Meaning the valtrex will fight the HSVII and my immune system would calm down? Is this something that will be temporary and after a few months my immune system will fix itself? I have no idea where to begin and all the Dr’s I have seen want to treat me for depression, eye infection etc. None of the medication they give me works. In addition, I would like to try a natural approach. I don’t even know what auto immune disease I have but my thyroid has pain and my eye swells just at night. All blood work for thyroid came back “normal” Please help, I have no idea what steps to take……..

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

Hello
I have had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis for about 10 yrs now. According to all the different drs I have seen my levels are “normal” but I never feel better. I am now 36 with four kids and it feels like every day I feel worse and worse. I have had pain in my hips knees and buttocks for a few years now but they could not find anything so just diagnosed me with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. I live in constant pain and I also seem to b getting sick with viruses and colds with extremely thick phlem much easier and harder to get rid of. I have a large goiter and is becoming hard to swallow at times as very thick saliva. My last ultrasound showed I had a ton of swollen lymph nodes? They don’t seem to b worried. I have no quality of life, I become depressed and don’t want to do anything but lay down. It is so frustrating that drs see there profession as a one size fits all and dt care enough or have enough knowledge to think outside of the box. I also have a vitamine d dediciency and my white bloods count is always low. I also have anemia badly with extremely low ferritin levels. ? I would love to find a dr who cares enough to see me as an individual and not a one size fits all type if mentality.

Dear Dr. Mark, I am currently experiencing an insanely accelerated form of vitiligo. Within a couple of months it has overwhelmed my hands, face and other parts of my body. I also suffer from hypothyroidism and have been developing numerous mouth ulcers. My doctor recommends all of the band-aid solutions you refer to throughout your blog for autoimmune diseases but no one seems interested in helping me otherwise. I am growing increasingly concerned and would be willing to consider all advice you have to offer.
With great thanks, K. Mitzel

I am 21 years old and have been suffering for years with symptoms of joint pain, fatigue, dizziness, the inability to concentrate, depression, anxiety, the list goes on and on. Finally this year I was diagnosed with hashimotos and am desperately seeking relief before this drives me absolutely crazy/ into a deep depression. I am definitaly going to be using some of your tips here! I often feel worse when I eat and am almost positive theres an intolerance or allergy to something, the tests are just so expensive! Going to start a whole food diet based off of just fruits veggies and organic meat soon, maybe thatll help.
Great article and great advice!

I recently have this ringing on my left ear. This happen last august and was told by ent and rheumotologist that it was a viral infection. I was given steroid for 2 weeks and i felt bad while on them. The ringing was getting lower but suddenly came about about 2 weeks ago. Sometimes it loud enough that i cannot hear from my ear and at other times the hearing is restored completely. On 3 blood exams my anit body level range was at 1:80 which i was told was high and could have some sort of auto immune problem. but i was further tested and came up fine according to the doctors. I went to my ent 2 weeks ago and he put me on steroids again i do not think its doing anything except feeling side affects. If this is an auto immune problem which one is it? I am getting a little desperate as I would like to know what this could be? I was told that I can just naturally have a high antibody level. I just do not want this to get worst. Can you shed some light on this situation?

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work. Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice regarding therapeutic foods for AI, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

I am 61, feel 91 and suffer chronic persistant pain. I have had IBS since I was 33 and have now developed Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. I am convinced it is an auto immune response but my symptoms get treated individually! I was on amitryptiline for the fibro but it made me ill and I came off it after only 6 months. I follow a Gluten free diet and go light on dairy but am at a loss to know how to treat myself. Walking is agony sleep intermittant and fatigue continuous. I think it is probably a stress response and reading this article has helped me to decide to try harder to find the real cause. My knees can swell up by 21/2 inches in one day! to say I am fed up is an understatement -so thanks for giving me a bit of hope!

Dear Lorna,
Dr. Hyman’s guidelines are pretty basic and safe. However, please consult with your local GP before starting or stopping a new medical treatment, including dietary supplements.

In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Or, for more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.
In Good Health,
The Nutrition Team

I have been diagnosed with Raynuad’s Disease…Syndrome… and am wondering what vitamins you might recommend that I take to help me, as I am now on a plant based diet and am exercising 5-6 times a week.
Thank you…
Andrea

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work. Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.
In Good Health,
The Nutrition Team

I am 47 and have three children and have enjoyed good health until last year. I have struggled with weight issues all my life and finally lost approximately 80 pounds in 2009 and have kept it off with an active lifestyle. I have put back on 20 pounds in the past year and developed the following symptoms; chronic flaky, scaling skin in and behind my right ear, chronic furuncles in my nose that respond to antibiotics then recur when treatment is completed. I have zero energy and at a recent gyn visit, was treated for bacterial vaginosis and my doctor diagnosed me with lichen sclerosis and put me on a topical ointment. I am an OR nurse and my feeling is that these are all connected somehow, yet, each doc treats the symptoms separately. I’m tired of running around and getting no relief, I know there is an answer to this puzzle!
Thanks for your consideration,
Mia

Thank you for sharing your health story with us. Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.
In Good Health,
The Nutrition Team

Thank you for this article! I am 40 years old and was just recently diagnosed with Graves’ Disease. After being referred to a specialist, I was surprised to learn that the conventional treatments (anti-thyroid medication, ablation with radio-active iodine, and surgery) don’t really address the underlying problem of my autoimmune system attacking my thyroid, causing it to over-produce thyroid hormone. Your article really hit home with me and it gives me hope that I will be able to “clean house” so to speak. I am currently on anti-thyroid medication (methimazole) to bring my levels back down to normal, but additionally I put myself on a Paleo diet to cut out many food allergens like gluten, and am taking vitamin supplements especially Vitamin D3. I’ll see how it goes…

I am 29 years old. I have been taking Carbimazole for grave’s disease since it was first detected in Jan 2013, symptoms started around 4 years back. I can see lot of improvements now, but still symptoms keep coming back. I have a strong feeling this will not cure me permanently, so I am in search permanent of cure to fix my autoimmune problem.

How are you now as I can see you started to “clean house” in May. Are you seeing the improvements? I would really love to discuss in detail with you. Please drop me a note to santhudr@gmail.com, if you are ok.

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work with IBS. Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

Hi, i know its been a while since this post but im hoping you could still provide a reference for me. I’m 28 years old from Sydney, Australia. I’ve have a serious of illnesses including, ashma, sinus problems, several allergies, depression and Multiple Scelrosis. I’m on a immune suppressants as subscribed by my neurologist for my MS.

I really feel that there is a better option out there for me to address all my illnessses. I just dont know who to go to as my doc thinks im being stupid for considering alternative options. Is there anyone in Australia that you would recommend I try to see? I’m very open to all kinds of treatment, I just want someone’s help to get proper treatment.

I had Hashimoto’s but never treated for it since the doctors never did the right tests. then I had thyroid cancer in 2009 with a total removal. Today I am still 50 lbs over weight but feeling better. I have been treated for candida and it is gone. I do have high mercury and being treated for it now. My ferritin is 300 but my iron is fine.

I would like to know if I should get tested for food sensitives. I go to a natural medicine doctor.

My husband gets needle like sensations in his lower legs after he showers. this also happens if he exercises and sweats. We have gone to so many doctors and none can figure it out. Any suggestions? He prolongs getting a shower because he can’t take the pain.

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

Hi there, Your explaination about auto Immune makes sense and I have now been in healing for over a year. I am a 40yr old woman. I have been diagnosed with Rhematoid at the age of 21yrs. I found I had a allergy to milk so stopping that stopped my arthritic symptoms. I then went through menopause at age 28yrs due to trauma from anurism and relationship breakup, chemical poisoning, viral meningitis. At the age of 35 a specialist told me that I had a rare gene that set me into early menapause and the fact that I had all the above trauma made it come even earlier. Another frustrating system I have had is eye blurriness and especially my left can get very bad, where I cant see much from it as it is just a blur.
Now I have always eaten rather healthy and especially in the last year. I again got a rheumatoid arthritsis attach in Jan last year and could hardly walk or open my hands. I immediatedly decided to get a hair analysis done, thus getting onto a auto immune specialilst within this company. Now since then we have succesfully rid my body of inflamation and calm my digestive system. I have been very diciplined with eliminating foods. however my query is that I should not have to continue to eliminate foods as I want my body to heal and get my digestive back where it can cope with foods. I am fine if I stick with the same diet however it is very restricted, so therefore something is not quite healed. All the recommended supplements that I was on over the year should of I believe reversed the auto immune, however my blood results are still showing the same issue. Now my specialist says I may have a different auto immune, it seems that it is never ending when I have done everything perfectly to my knowledge I should of been finding good blood results rather than no change. My eyes can be a real bother at times and I have been told it is connect tissue issue which comes with auto immune. I heard about heavy metal testing a couple of months ago and want to see if that could be a cause. My specialist told me the detoxing that I have been doing for years, that it is unlikely that I have any heavy metal toxicity and if I did it has done the damage thus the reason for the auto immune. I really want to have some anwers for myself as I have done everything to my knowledge and I believe that the only thing left is a heavy metal test. I look forward to your reply and an answer that may heal my body and change my life for good. Much appreciated for the opportunity you have given me to find a cure. Warm Regards Marie

Have you been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease?
***Yes. Chronic Utacaria (spelled wrong), hives, and over 100 dramatic and life threatening allergies and mostly foods (eggs, oranges, tuna, mushrooms, too many to name) seemingly overnight. Ended up in hospital with anaphalactic shock.(also spelled wrong)

How is your doctor treating you?
***When I was seeing one, with an Epi pen, Allegra, and Rantinidine.

Have you been frustrated by the medical advice that you’ve been given?
*** Yes. All forms of treatment offered addressed symptoms only. To make matters worse, I soon developed what appears to be seborrheic dermatitis. I didn’t even bother going to the dermatologist because I know that suppressive therapies are standard treatment methods. Also because common sense could tell me that I clearly was experiencing autoimmune failures- different symptoms, but same root reason. That was my theory.

What steps have you taken to get to the root of the problem, and what have your results been?

*** The first thing I did was change what I was consuming. I went 100% organic and whole. Only plain and pure nourishment. For about a week and half I ate only 100% organic lightly steamed celery/carrot/potato with a lightly sauteed 100% organic mixture of olive oil, butter, lots of parsley, garlic, and shallots . drizzled over it. The parsley I kept uncooked, but I did muddle it so as to release flavor.
After less than a week I was able to reduce my previously necessary and lifesaving daily allergy meds to only once every 4 days or so. Within less than one month I was off the meds altogether. The only thing that still gives me noticeable allergic reaction is when i eat at almost any asian food establishment. Most times-Sushi gives me terrible asthma. I believe that has to do with the quality of fish they use (farms or polluted waters)
I can’t comfortable eat or drink stuff with citric acid in too much. Again- restricts my breathing. Sour candy used to be a treat (Nerds,sour Gloworms, etc) Daquiris and other mixed drinks with artificial flavors based on a citric acid compound are a big no-no. Thankfully I never much cared for sugary drinks and candy, but I did like sour stuff.

After the dermatitis took over my face I got so desperate to purge my system. I noticed for the first time in my life I was craving sweets. This happened around the time I cut out the foods that weren’t nutrient dense. Since my skin condition is fed by a yeasty flora, I suspect that my ‘bad’ bacteria were ‘starving’ and hence my sugary cravings.

I’m finally seeing dramatic improvement on all fronts, face almost back to normal and it was so bad before. Red, swollen, peeling, and cyclical in nature- I couldn’t get rid of it. Except for MSG and Citric Acid (fresh fruit doesn’t bother me anymore)

I started juicing high nutrient organics like beets and carrots and celery and ginger and juice of lemons. People said the sugar was bad but in my own experience it was not. I paired that with lots of plain greens (arugala, kale, bok choy, chards, etc) and I would drizzle the greens with evoo and balsamic.

I also used all the fibrous the pulp from my juicing and made soups with it. Pretty plain, Always garlic and shallots and parsley. A little organic meat sauteed in the evoo with the garlic and shallots for taste. I’d add my own homemade broth and maybe coconut milk or half and half- all organic and whatever I had on hand, to thicken and add dimension. Also plenty of tumeric and black pepper

I added what I believe to be a high quality live probiotic (18 billion cultures/32 live strains) daily supplement. I used local and 100% pure honey to arrest any developing hives, and aloe vera that I grow on topical problem facial areas and then moisturized with 100% pure coconut oil. I used neem oil on my face also. It smells but it clears up any acne and i love that it does so many things. Again- those are topical aids. I believe you have to get to the inside of you in order to get to the source.

I now grow my own herbs and I use them in foods in place of most seasonings.

I had been on high doses of Levaquin antibiotics + others a while back and maybe that is what happened to me. All i know now is that the mainstream docs mostly just throw pills at things. You have to be your own advocate. I believe in getting a professional diagnosis, but unless it requires surgery, I do my own treatments. And cures all come down to what we do or do not ingest, MOST of the time. Anyhow, this is what works for me.

I have a condition called folliculitis and it has really ruined my social and personal life. I have no health insurance and no doctor to go to and I don’t know what to do or who to turn to. I hear that folliculitis is the cause of a bad immune system but I don’t know. I’m just looking for some proffesional help so I can get rid of this horrible problem for good and finally live my life happy and healthy.

Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.

I am a type-1 diabetic since Aug 1996. I am originally from India and currently living in the UK since Sept 2003. No one in my family has diabetes or any other chronic disease.

I regularly take short and long acting insulin to control my sugar. Last recorded HbA1C is 7.3. I used to suffer from allergy once in few years (for 1-2 months) and by taking antihistamine, it used go away. However since 2010 I am suffering from allergic reaction all over body. I have consulted lot of specialist, but no one has identified root cause. Now it’s in the stage where I have take steroids on intermittent basis. But thats not the final solution. I started thinking it could be due to insulin allergy. But even thats not conclusive. My IgE level is 14. As I am diabetic I started thinking it could be Autoimmune urticaria and the root cause is something different, which needs proper treatment. I get rash all over body. It itches a lot. Lot of time I unable to concentrate due to these rash. It comes all over the body including lips, chick, eyes, ear, forehead. Sometime its difficult to go in public. Can you please advice?

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work. He practices functional medicine, which includes personalized lifestyle medicine. This is an individualized approach to health and nutrition. Specific treatments will affect each person’s system differently, based on their unique “terrain” or constitution. In order to treat the symptoms and get to the root cause of what’s making someone sick, we first need to know what specific imbalances are occurring in the individual’s body. Because of that, there is no single diet or therapy available to everyone. We need to address the person’s unique health status and medical history in order to provide the ultimate diet therapy for that person.
Due to this Dr. Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s virtual nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.
In Good Health,
The Nutrition Team

I am 33 and was just diagnosed with MCTD. I have antibodies for RA, Sjogrens (sp?) And 2 lupus antibodies and antibodies attacking my thyroid. I found all this out after I went to my dr with brain fog. I simply could not think and then came the headaches, fatigue, joint pain, heartburn, skin irritation. You name it I had it. I went to a rheumatologist who diagnosed me with MCTD and said we just wait and see what happens. Basically if it gets too bad one day they will just give me antimilarial drugs. And he said my brain fog was probably from ADD!! Are you kidding me? I don’t think so. Long story short I stripped my diet of any dairy, sugar, artificial sweetners and processed foods. I am taking the following supplements; vit d3(my level was 30) fish oil, 5mg folic acid, msm, curaphen, a multi vitamin and magnesium. All of my symptoms stopped in a matter of days. I’m going to get tested for heavy metals, mold, food allergies this week as the igg level in my body is elevated. The rhuemy didn’t even bring that up! A nutritionist/pharmacist i consulted picked up on it reading my blood tests. I’m no dr but it just doesn’t make sense to me that my body will just start attacking itself without being provoked.

I have had Oral Lichen Planus for over 33 years.
I keep getting a little better but i still have to find a way to stop the process of breakdown in my mouth.
I’m wondering if you have any suggestions or guidance.
I also wonder if you have experience using Low-dose Naltexone for improving the immune system.
Thanks so much, Lydia

Dear Lydia,
Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work. He practices functional medicine, which includes personalized lifestyle medicine. This is an individualized approach to health and nutrition. Specific treatments will affect each person’s system differently, based on their unique “terrain” or constitution. In order to treat the symptoms and get to the root cause of what’s making someone sick, we first need to know what specific imbalances are occurring in the individual’s body. Because of that, there is no single diet or therapy available to everyone. We need to address the person’s unique health status and medical history in order to provide the ultimate diet therapy for that person.
Due to this Dr. Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s virtual nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.
In Good Health,
The Nutrition Team

Thank you for this article. I am in Geelong,Victoria Australia. I have been very sick with hundreds of symptoms for 3 years. I have been diagnosed with coeliac disease, copper toxicity, hypothyroidism, diabetes, menstruation problems, miscarriages, migraines, arthritis. Still trying to find the reason why i have all those problems, i have generally been healthy until 3 years ago. i react to foods, chemicals, alcohol, stress, sun, copper. I have tried western and alternative practitioners. i have been tested for so many diseases and cancers as my white cells were high. i have heart problems too, in and out of hospital, specialists still couldn’t work me out. i also react to any drugs or pain killers. I am now going to make my doctor test me for leaky gut. I am happy to find out there are other people like me. i am 38

Hi
I’m a mother of 5.5 months old daughter. two weeks ago there were red blotches under my daughter skin on both of her legs. I brought her to a pediatric…whom immediately said that it was autoimmune disorderwithout any test and gave some medication. I was so confusedhow could this be and whyI was also wondering about the type of autoimune that attack my daughter.when I asked the pediatric he siad it cannot be prevented. both I and my husband have allergy and my daughter was hospitalized when she was 7days old due tofever and decreasing weight,for 3days with unknown result because the lab test came back withnegative on any possible infection. I just want to find out why and heal my daughter. I also wonder if it is because I’m consuming spirulina now durng breastfeeding and back then when I was pregnant.please let me know how I can figure this out and have treatment to heal her. Oh ya I’m from Indonesia..

In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Hi. I love this article and it makes perfect sense. I had glandular fever in 1984 and afterwards was left in pain and so fatigued. Eight years of misery brought the diagnosis of ME/CFS and over the years have experienced a multitude of symptoms and in 2003-2005, I thought I was recovering. I was following a vegan anti candida diet and doing well. Then a massive relapse led to peripheral and autonomic neuropathy. I am now on a dairy and gluten-free, low carb vegan diet. Juicing regularly and taking supplements. I am also having manual therapies. I am hopeful of some improvements if not cure.

Hi Dr Hyman Nutrition Staff,
This article mentions that I should check for hidden infections — yeast, viruses, bacteria, Lyme, etc. — with the help of a doctor, and treat them. The problem is after my SLE diagnosis my doctor proceded to prescribe Plaquenil without checking for yeast, etc. Personally I believe in finding the root cause of the inflammation and not just mask it. My question is what tests should I do to check for yeast, viruses, Lyme, Gluten intolerance, food sensitivities?

Hi Christine,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I have autoimmune hepatitis; was diagnosed with it in 2007 at 21. My doctor is currently has me taking two 50mg tablets of azathioprine and one 500mg tablet of Ursodiol. He doesn’t have me on any diet restrictions except not to eat a lot of red meat because the medicine raises my cholesterol. I’m frustrated with the medical advice because I don’t want to be on pills for the rest of my life and want to work on a way to fixing my body instead of suppressing it. I recently started the 28-day elimination and detoxification diet with my husband because I have a lot of allergies all year long and wanted to see if this would help; and some of the research I did said it might help with the liver disease. I also was diagnosed with Psoriasis when I was 15; I had an outbreak (I’m pretty sure due to stress because my dad separated with my step-mother and we moved to a different state) but I haven’t had an outbreak as bad as I had since. I do occasionally during stressful situations see signs of it but nothing as bad as I’ve had then. I’m thinking maybe I want to be in search of a different doctor that might look at the cause of the problem rather than just prescribing medicine and if that keeps my liver numbers down then great. I don’t want the long term side effects of the medicine I am taking and this has also been a huge factor in having children; I seem to keep miscarrying. I really found the article very helpful and hopefully this elimination diet will prove to help things

Hi I am from the UK and have an autoimmune disease, it has effected my thyroids it has made me have early menopause and Addisons disease, I would like to know how to stop it causing me any more problems like Diabetes 1 etc..Any help would be appreciated I find myself worrying over every little thing now..And want to stop it destroying me further..

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work with IBS. Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

I have had vitiligo for 7-8 years and have been told there is no treatment. I can remember as a child always having diarrhea and vomiting which led to dehydration. As an adult I still have problems with cramping, bloating, diarrhea quickly after eating, and gas. I read somewhere that IBS or digestive dysfunction can lead to an autoimmune disease such as vitiligo. I am going to try your diet and find a functional medicine doctor in my area. I am hoping this will help my symptoms.

It’s refreshing to see this type of diagnostic and healing information. I’ve just been to see a rheumatologist, and it was an entirely unsatisfactory experience. I trust my GP, I will bring this to him and maybe we can root out the problem together and begin the healing. I’d love to get off the medicine and painkillers!

One thing I would tend to argue with is this: “If you grew up on a farm with lots of animals, you are also less likely to have any of these inflammatory disorders. Playing in the dirt, being dirty, and being exposed to bugs and infections trains your immune system to recognize what is foreign and what is “you.””

I’m in my mid-fifties, and I played in the dirt all the time, drank straight from mountain streams and hoses, didn’t wear sunscreen, was outside more than I was inside, swam in public pools, and climbed trees. While I agree that a much younger generation isn’t doing that, I think it’s too much of a generalization. Many people my age and older have these auto-immune disorders, and I would bet that we all had the same kind of childhood.

I traveled widely, I often wondered if that had a hand in it, as it started a few years after a long trip. In any case, I agree with the rest of the article, and hope to convince my GP that this is the way to go. Thanks!

Dr Hyman, I have had a series of events overs a six week period this past summer – eczema, hair loss and compromised vision. I’ve seen a dermatologist, 3 Ophthalmologists, a Rheumatologist, and my PCP and gone thru 50+ blood tests plus Brain MRI, CT scan of the torso, ultra sound of the eyes – and no firm diagnosis. Only treatment has been prednisone and now Cellcept (potentially for lupus – although that may be doubtful) all aimed at stopping vision loss.

A little over a year ago I began experiencing peculiar and frightening symptoms such as faintness spells. I wouldn’t actually lose consciousness, rather just be on the verge.

My MD concluded all my blood labs appeared normal and dismissed me, stating I ought to go to the ER if my symptoms worsen. Worsen they did. Within a few weeks I was treated in the ER for dehydration (wasn’t holding much volume for a few days). I was sent to a cardiologist, who ran scores of tests only to conclude my heart looked normal and healthy.

I placed myself in the care of a naturopath last Dec., of course the first step was to treat the dehydration through diet. They found thyroid antibodies (concluding I may have Hashimoto’s) and a yeast overgrowth in my digestive system along with a few parasites (2 known, 1 unknown). I also began undergoing regular acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. I’ve even taken a mindfulness based stress reduction course with a heavy emphasis on meditation.

Under my NP’s direction, I began a pretty rigorous anti-inflammatory diet. This was fairly “easy” to begin with as I had deteriorated to a point I was having severe difficulty swallowing, even applesauce.

For months I ate organic whenever possible, cut out gluten, dairy and any non-produce sugars completely. I was on a wide variety of natural supplements, some to help provide essential nutrients, some to treat my gut.

During this time my faintness spells all but completely subsided, occasional mild light-headedness developed along with shortness of breath, the latter of which became fairly severe by late spring. I saw an allergist who told me the smallest areas in my lungs were showing signs of early stage of asthma. Also during this time I had begun to backslide (which happened throughout this process).

This one particular backslide came with loss of appetite, nausea and rapid resting pulse. One morning I had what was termed a “vessel vagal near syncope” episode while taking my AM supplements. So I stopped them altogether (except vitamins D & C), and I immediately improved (regained appetite, nausea subsided, heart settled).

My NP tested me for Lyme, and told me there was a 60/40 chance I had been exposed as one of the three tests showed signs of related antibodies. I believe this was true for one of the western blots.

Because my energy was still wavering, I consulted with an endocrinologist, who has acknowledged I have a mild case of Hashimoto’s. He prescribed thyroid supplement liothyronine and levothyroxine. Prior to taking these I felt as though I was getting better on my own. I has quite an adjustment period to these meds, yet my fiancé believes they have helped even my mood and temperament.

My TSH levels were once at 2.0, and my endo opines 1.0 is most ideal, my TSH eventually lowered to .69 over 14 week on the meds. So my dose was lowered and during this time I began experiencing arrhythmia. In fact I’m still experiencing this along with shortness of breath.

Suffice to say I’ve been on this tumultuous journey with my body for well over a year. I think I’ve done just about everything I can possibly do to heal and recover my health. Do you have any advice for someone like me?

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs
In Good Health,
Dr. Hyman’s Wellness Staff

Hello Dr Hyman,
I have had a positive ANA test and all my tests resulted as almost having several autoimmune diseases but not quite high enough levels to diagnose for any disease. For a couple weeks now I am on an allergen free diet and taking multivitamins, Vitamin D and Iron(I was deficient), Im feeling alittle better but just last week had a stomach virus that was going around. Now I am feeling just as weak and achy all over as before. Any suggestions?

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs
In Good Health,
Dr. Hyman’s Wellness Staff

Several years ago I was diagnosed with dermatomyositis. I have tried everything. I now take vitamin D, vitamin E, flaxseed and vitamin C. I am going to look into the probiotics and fish oil. I want my skin to go back to normal. I don’t see any doctors any more. It is such a waste of time and money. Thanks for the helpful suggestions.

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs
In Good Health,
Dr. Hyman’s Wellness Staff

I am 46. I struggled with chronic sinusitis for decades. 2 sinus surgeries; long term antibiotics; long term allergy shots;… the last few years have not been bad for my sinuses.
However the last 10 – 20 years have had the following:
Endometriosis – Lupron shots and then hysterectomy.
Joint and muscle pain; chronic plantar fasciitis; chronic fatigue; anxiety; irritable bowel;osteoporosis; reflux; rosacea; seborhea dermatitis
Initially treated with NSAIDS; steroids and Lyrica
Felt great on steroids. Couldn’t tolerate Lyrica
Now on Cymbalta; remeron; fish oil; CoQ10; fosamax; calcium; multivutamin;omeprazole; antifungal cream for face; prn NSAIDS; prn claritan

Pain is a lot less but gets worse if I am sick with a cold or virus.
Still anxious; tired; and overweight.

Good Evening. My question is in regards to H. pylori, I would like to know if there are any natural ways to clean my digestive system from this bacteria. I recently had a blood test and the results indicate that I have a high amount of H. pylori (94.4 Units/ML). My doctor prescribed antibiotics (his prescription also includes Amoxicillin 1000mg 2 times/day, Flagyl 500mg 2x/day (which I’ve read it’s a carcinogenic in rats), and finally Dexilant 60mg 2x/day. I am skeptical about antibiotics as I have also read, they may be one of the causes of infertility. I am also concerned about the effects of antibiotics on fertility as I was recently diagnosed with a low ovarian reserve and I want to get pregnant. I am 29. I would really appreciate any help and response to my question. Thank you.

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs
In Good Health,
Dr. Hyman’s Wellness Staff

Hello, just seeing if anyone had any advice regarding mutated genes? To be more specific I have MTHFR mutation, homozygous (A1298C) which greatly effects methylation (discharging toxins). I am already working with a functional doctor here in Austin TX but only recently have received these results via a simple blood test.

I read the posts from Amy, Coby and Tara above and had to share what I am going through.

I took a sulfa drug a 18 months ago. I had a delayed reaction that started as a small red rash of bumps on my back. It was so itchy. It spread to different parts of my body. It would come and go in different places daily.

After two dermatologists, two allergists and a variety of others and all kinds of drugs, here I sit still suffering with this rash. Due to steroids and immunosuppressants, I have gone from a person who exersises daily, I always have been very active and have included yoga in my routine, to maybe a thirty minute a day walk before my knees start hurting. I try to do yoga streches but my back knees and shoulders hurt so much that what used to give me tremendous relieve and pleasure, not just is painful.

I am yet to find a doctor who will even get on board with me about the sulfa reaction. They all say, “that probably what caused it” but that it doesn’t matter now because basically I have chronic urticaria and that is what we need to treat.

THIS IS NOT WORKING!!!!!

I am amazed that the root cause of this condition is not being talked about!

My skin is a mess, I itch all the time, I am sleep deprived and my body feels like I have aged 20 years!

Yesterday I stopped the immunopsupressant. I am hoping to relieve the pain in my knees and back. I woke up this morning itching all over my body. I still take 4 antihistemines a day and they aren’t touching this itch. I plan to go all organic and try the diet that Dr. Hyman mentioned in the blog above.

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs
In Good Health,
Dr. Hyman’s Wellness Staff

I am a 57 year old, young at heart female. I have high inflammation markers in my blood tests, neuropathy symptoms, vitamin B6 toxicity, joint pains, nerve pains, hashimotos and other unknown aches.My doctor says I am looking at getting another autoimmune disease if I don’t change something. I am getting desperate, which is a good motivator. My doctor referred me to a nutritionist. She put me on a detox/elimination diet to determine food allergies and to heal my leaky gut. These were her words. She also strongly advised me to go gluten free which I am doing now for 4 months. I am at the end of my 2 month long elimination diet. I have a long way to go still in getting better but I think I’m on the right road because my doctor (who is a conventional GP but also believes in alternative medicine) is using terms that you speak about in this article. My Nutritionist also is of the same mind set. But I will admit, it is hard! Hard to let go of certain foods I’ve eaten the majority of my adult life. Bottom line: I think I am allergic to gluten grains and maybe some dairy BUT I am finding it very hard to even consider giving up dairy. It’s restrictive enough going gluten free; but dairy too? Many people continue to stay sick because they are set in their dietary ways. I do not want to be one of them! Thank you for this article. It gives me hope that my doctor and Nutritionist is on the right path. It’s just ME that has to fully comply. I hope I can.

I’m so frustrated, last may I spent $3k on lab tests with a board certified gastroenterologist and he found NOTHING wrong. He tested for celiac, inflammation, leaky gut, sibo, parasites.
Yet here I sit(AGAIN) searching the internet for answer to why I have chronic IBS-D which has flared up so badly that I’ve now even reacted to my fresh juice and nutribullet diet.
My hands are swollen, my eyes are hot and itchy and my whole body feels flu like! Obvious food reactions but now I’m reacting to everything!

The previous doc said “just take Imodium” even that hasn’t helped.

I also don’t want to spend a whole fortune on more lab tests with another doctor, it’s very frustrating!

Sad to see I was mislead by a board certified gastroenterologist trained in Harvard!

Any referrals of autoimmune hypoallergenic meal packs I could invest in???

I have just been diagnosed with Endometriosis after 18 months of pelvic pain. The pain started after I was fitted with the copper coil (Paragard) in June 2011. During the time the coil was inside me, I suffered terribly with infection after infection (respiratory, kidney and strep). I also developed joint pain and costochondritis. I started to look in to my symptoms and “autoimmune” popped up a lot and something just clicked. I made a connection between this “foreign body” inside me maybe triggering some sort of autoimmune response. I got the coil removed a year ago but I am still having some issues i.e. endometriosis and occasional joint pain. Thank you for your article. I can now have a look at what’s causing the inflammation in my lifestyle (probably anxiety and diet related) and try to heal myself. The doctors want to put me on birth control pills but my body doesn’t tolerate it very well so au natural is the only way to go! Thanks again.

All sounds very nice but its really just opinion dressed as fact. Nearly all the research-based evidence suggests that autoimmunity is in part at least predominantly a problem of genetic susceptibility, histocompatibility, epigenetics and a triggering event.
The why of why these diseases are occurring more regularly is of course poorly understood and an area of much research.
But without science its guesswork and inference.

This artcicle is very use ,I got psoriasis with mild patches on the finger in 2006,but the skin doctor never told me that it is psoriasis He kept on giving me steroid ointments .After 3 Years I have developed toe joint swelling .and slowly it became very painful at the toe joints.The Ortho physician never told me it is Psoriatic arthritis Instead they want to operate and remove the extra grwoth at the toe joint.After 3 years I have developed Eye inflammation called “Scleritis” Past 4 years I’m suffering with eye inflammation and psoriatic arthritis.I have tried the AYurvedic approach where they have detoxified my body.Psoriasis has ireduced a lot and joint swelling also reduced a lot .It was a significant improvement with Ayurvedic approach.When I saw in the internet about ‘Psoriatic arthritis ,It is the main cause for eye inflammation .But now though psoriasis and toe joint arthritis are showing significant reduction ,my eye inflammation remained same and i was put on steroid eye drops.Please suggest me a way

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs
In Good Health,
Dr. Hyman’s Wellness Staff

This artcicle is very use The ful .,I got psoriasis in 2006 with mild patches on the finger ,but the skin doctor never told me that it is psoriasis He kept on giving me steroid ointments .After 3 Years I have developed toe joint swelling .and slowly it became very painful at the toe joints.The Ortho physician never told me it is Psoriatic arthritis Instead they want to operate and remove the extra grwoth at the toe joint.After 3 years I have developed Eye inflammation called “Scleritis” Past 4 years I’m suffering with eye inflammation and psoriatic arthritis.I have tried the Yurvedic approach where they have detoxified my body.Psoriasis has ireduced a lot and joint swelling also reduced a lot .It was a significant improvement with Ayurvedic approach.When I saw in the internet about ‘Psoriatic arthritis ,It is the main cause for eye inflammation .But now though psoriasis and toe joint arthritis are showing significant reduction ,my eye inflammation remained same and i was put on steroid eye drops.Please suggest me a way

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs
In Good Health,
Dr. Hyman’s Wellness Staff

Hi Iam a 29 year old female,8 years ago I went to the eye doc and he told me I had Iritis,,then It went over into my other eye and he did blood work and It came back that I was HLA-B27 positive I know that is genetic condition ,But for the past 3 years I have slowly got white patches on my skin in 4 spots same on my right side as my left and the are getting larger.My doc thinks It is Vitiligo,,But there has to be a underlying problem as to this might be my blood type? any answers would help thank you..

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs
In Good Health,
Dr. Hyman’s Wellness Staff

Hi! I was wondering if anyone seen or heard of the following symptoms. This started in late September of this year following neck surgery and a perm. It starting as rash with a couple of pimples above my ear in the hairline. It then showed up on arms,neck, upper shoulders, upper and lower back, neck area behind ears, and hit miss areas on legs. When first got this my dog scratch me with her nails and next day a couple the pimples showed up there. Symptoms being treated with tropic steroids for itching. Had Dermatologist take plug samples having heard anything yet. It mimics the look of chicken pox, Thank you

Hi, I have an autistic Daughter. She is 7 years old
She had elevated Thyroid (was ignored for 3 years by doctors), she has airborne allergies and allergies for milk and peanuts (not severe). She was also diagnosed with abnormalities and absent seizures.

Being a mom I faced the horrible fact of being alone with no answers. I had to research much into her conditions. I started treating her overactive immune system with Moducare (sterols and sterolines), magnesium, calcium (as she allergic to milk), zinc, omega 369, Probiotic and selenium. Now recently started her on B12. We had a test done and saw it improved her Thyroid, no longer elevated. Her immune system is normal, no Celiac. We substituted normal antihistamines (had neurological side effects) with homeopathic. Her speech improved.

QUESTION:

Do we still need a gluten free diet when there is no indication of Celiac and her immune system is normal?
Could there be another reason, besides allergies, why she is still suffering sinus problems?
And calming the immune system, does that reduce allergies? Or will it eliminate allergies eventually.

Your help will be much appreciated as I am sitting with a situation that requires thinking out of the box.

Hello Bat,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide your daughter the proper care she needs we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you and your daughter the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hello,
My daughter, now 13, started getting headaches when she was 6. 2 years ago, after finding out I had a strong gluten sensitivity, I pulled gluten from her diet; as well. She responded well and her headaches went away for quite a while. Last December (2012) her headaches started coming back, and she developed tonsil stones…so back to the internet and I discovered that dairy could be her issue, so in March 2013, her and I quit eating any dairy….again, it helped. THEN in May 2013 she developed a white patch on her skin….finally saw a dermatologist in November….biopsy showed maybe early phases of Morphea, a skin disease…all starting from an over-active immune system…so, an autoimmune disease. Dr, your article inspired me to find the root cause…..I have searched for a great natural doctor in Wisconsin and I believe I have found one by Milwaukee. If you have any advice for me, I will happily take it! Thank you!

Thank you for your interest in Dr Hyman’s work with IBS. Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to:http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.

Hi
I have hives on and off. I learned to control them with diet and probiotics and garlic. I am having pain in my hands, it is in the bones, I can’t carry anything or grab even a bottle. I would like to get the anti inflammatory diet but I can’t find it in your website. what book could I buy? should I get one of your coaches?

Hi Adriana,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching where you can receive 1:1 support with Registered Dietitians, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hi, I love the information that you provide, but the site is slightly overwhelming since there is so much informaiton. I know Dr. Hyman cannot give medical advice via this forum, but I would appreciate it if you could point me in the direction as to how to start eating better, taking supplements and working towards treating sinus issues, asthma and diggestive issues (GERD and IBS). Thank you so much for your help. PS: I am looking to eventually get in to se a functional medicine doctor in my home state.

Hello my name is Brandi,
I am a healthy, atheletic 25 yr old. The only real condition ive had since a child is s/s of raynauds disease (cold, white, tingling fingers). But In April 2013 I was allergy tested becuase my legs were always itching, come to find out im allergic to all hay, bermuda, etc. They began me on immunotherapy (allergy injections) every other day. In May 2013 I started developing stomach issues with N/V and with mult. dr visits i convinced them to do an EGD and they diagnosed with me multiple ulcers caused my eosinophilic gastris. They then placed me on Protonix BID and carafate with each me. Teasted me for food allergies and everything was pretty much neg. In Oct/Nov I begun getting shaky and anxious every two hours that would go away with eating. I am a RN so I check my BG at work and it was 58. I then when a a diabetes dr and he gave me a monitor to check with each meal. I run 60-90 usually. He took mult samples of blood and I rec;d a call from him telling me I now have antibodies in my system for Type 1 DM. I am so overwhelmed I though all this would maybe be caused by my allergy injections so I stopped those. The allergist/immunologist said they are not the cause and that I have autoimmune disease. She said theres no way to fix or change my chances of getting Type 1 DM or preventing any more immune disorders in the future. I am scared but I know there has to be something else but each Dr is pawning me off to the other. I am beginning yoga, eating/drinking healthier, everything that I can do but I dont know who to see next??? My immune system just seems to be crud, I had pink eye and the flu within the last 3 weeks???! Please provide some advice if you can.

Hi Brandi,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

My 16 year old son is undiagnosed, he has been seen by every doctor tried a number of medicines, and this has been going on for three years. He has consistent pain in the neck, upper back, legs, upper arms, headache, facial swelling, arm swelling, change in facial color, at times. In the beginning he also had chest pressure and difficulty breathing. He is no longer walking he’s using an electric scooter due to the back pain and muscle weakness. Before this he was a normal 13 year old active teenager. They are not looking for the cause, just treating the pain with medicine. I’ve even been told he’s had a million dollar check-up what else do you want. In my opinion if it’s a million dollar check-up you could have stopped at one thousand dollars if you look for a cause instead of medicating the symptoms. When the medicine wears off the symptoms return and there worse because the cause is still unaddressed.

Hi I need some Answers Please.8 Years ago I want to the eye Doc and he told me I had Ivitus in my eye so It transfered over to my other eye and he did blood tests,and It came back that I have the HLA-B27 GENE.and ever since that I just have not felt the same,,3 years ago I notices I have 5 white small skin patches I went to my Doc I tryed anifungaul cream that did not work,so he sent me to the skin Doc I just found out I have the Autoimmune Condition Vitilago and the patches are getting bigger,he gave me cream to put on the patches but I do NOT just wana treat the skin I want to Treat the underlying Immune Problem If I CAN,I just had a baby 4 moths ago and I just wna feel my best for my Baby Boy:( Please If you have any answers for me or mabey you can tell me the best person to see about Immune and Blood Condition????Thank you.

I’am a healthy 45 year-old adult male who was recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have had no symptoms and was only diagnosed after having my annual physical with my family physician (my doctor ordered a blood test called a fatigue panel). My Double Strand DNA test and Rheumatoid Factor IgM came back high. After an in-depth blood panel done by my rheumatoid doctor it showed only an increase / abnormality in my rheumatoid arthritis panel. I’m on 200 mg Plaquenil per day. After starting plaquenil I have had some wrist/ hand discomfort. Any other recommendations as far as treatment and ways to mitigate symptoms?

Hi,
I am 63 years old have had arthristis since 94 and have been on Mobic. Recently had a reversal Iliostomy which was a 7 hour operation with complications. Still not right from the surgery. I have Vitiligo which has taken over my face and hands and white spots over my entire body.. The Doctor said I have an Auto immune disease for the Vitiligo. I have been reading up on this disease and I started to take Probiotic capsules. I’m tired and soreness is thorughout my body Not sure what else to do. HELP!

Hi Joanne,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I am a 41 year old woman. I have had issues with my health that I’ve not been able to clear up most of my life, since about the age of pre-teens is when I remember it starting to get bad. I would go to doctor’s and it wouldn’t help. I pushed myself through school sick most of the time. I went to work for years sick. In my mid to late teens I looked into holistic medicine. I improved under different holistic doctor’s care. Yet I continued to feel that I was struggling more than other people. Then it would seem I would do alright for a while and then it would come back, but it would be worse or different in some ways. A few years ago it got really bad. I am on unable to work and have no independence as an adult because I am so sick. I have a horrible panic disorder that seemingly won’t respond to anything. I am autoimmune. I’ve currently been diagnosed with undifferentiated connective tissue disease, hashimoto’s thyroiditis, migraines, Raynaud’s phenomenon, vitiligo,celiac disease, lyme, and its co-infections, etc you get the idea. I have terrible body pain and weakness, muscle loss, about 15- 30 symptoms that I don’t know what or which illness to attribute them to anymore….The panic disorder, the lyme, the celiac….etc.? I am becoming increasingly depressed and hopeless. I have a team of doctors and I am in therapy, yet I have to be “babysat” by my family and partner daily because the panic attacks are terrorizing me to the point of not being able to be alone at all. Right now as I write this to you I am shaking horribly and in a high state of anxiety. I have bad heart palpitations and my stomach is almost always upset and nauseous for as long as I can remember. That has become a source of anxiety too. It really is horrifying to be nauseous constantly for years. I can’t take anymore of this. My family and partner are worn out from dealing with me and I’m afraid they will all abandon me. I just want to feel good and live my life and be useful and included in life. Can you help me? The doctor’s I’m seeing are good and holistic, but something is being missed. Can you help me? I haven’t given the whole picture here either. There is more going on like possible hormone imbalances, neurotransmitters, and I had a test done that shows my body doesn’t detox properly in my brain and liver. Something about methylation….

Alicia,
I feel for you. I have trouble with methylation as well and my dr put me on vitamin b with methyl folate which is better absorbed into my body than regular b vitamin. I had high levels of b and d but my body wasn’t absorbing them. I understand the desperation you feel when the illness has gone on for so long. I am trying to get a blog going telling my journey through my autoimmune illness. Others need to know they are not alone!

My family is plagued by autoimmune diseases. Graves, Hojimotos, RA, MS, Thyroid cancer, and other Thyroid problems. I am the only female left in family not currently diagnosed with one, but I have been to Dr. I do not feel like myself numbness confusion sleeplessness depression I just feel off. He keeps giving me pills. Im afraid he is going to think Im crazy or Im gonna start thinking I am. I have told him of my family history. I will try some of your advice.

I was diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica 3 years ago and have been on prednisone in diminishing doses since that time. Even though my blood work has been normal for quite some time, my pain has not totally subsided. Someone suggested that I try turmeric recently, and it has really helped with the pain and I have been able to decrease the prednisone. My rheumatologist just rolls his eyes when I tell him this.

I have a 3 year old diagnosed with Licheon Sclerous. I has been a difficult road for us since being diagnosed with it in October 2013. She has very bad & painful days. I feel as I am not getting much help from any doctor I see. It feels like I can not find a doctor who cares to help us. I will look into the Functional Medicine more & hope to find some help for her. Thank you for posting all this info, at least it gives me a new things to look into.

Very good article. I’m finding diet has a lot to do with auto reactions and everyone’s triggers and nutrient needs are different. I notice most people are doing good eliminating foods; however, I don’t see many looking at deficiencies and testing for the vitamins and trace elements that are so essential to our health. Through my research and trial and error, I found a few Brazil nuts or sardines help me (selenium). My doctors(and I’ve had many!) did not give me a diagnosis. The wait and see is not acceptable, but on the other hand they don’t have the time to research each individuals case. It’s up to us to do our part, which includes eliminating things that may be hard to give up! Good luck to everyone here, I’m praying for you!

Since early 2009, I have had issues with Pile. It comes last for some. 3weeks and then stops only to return in some 3weeks again. It has been like this even up till now. Also, for like a month now, my eyes seem to be slightly inconvenient especially with light and air. Then came some slight pain in my left rib cage, just below the chest region. I could remember just after I cut my hair last 2 months, my scalp was filled with pains. Headaches has been frequent for at least some four hours daily and very unbearable when I’m hungry. Also, within this two months, I have had some inflammations (rashlike) on both arms, some very tiny rashes on top lip (twice) and on lower arm. This rashes are not visible except on close examination. And what’s more, just within the 7days, the top part of my right ear was swollen, though gone now, next was my lower lip swollen up till this moment, and then the back of my left palm.

I saw a doctor who prescribed some tests for me when the pile started, of which after having the test, he saw nothing wrong but prescribed a drug. Sadly the drug was so difficult to get that I couldn’t even see it around. With this new inflammation developments, I wish to go for a test but my current location prevents me from seeing a doctor and having the test.

Hi Emmy,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Hello y name is chavella just last years my liver was elevated slightly its still elevated so my doc last year sent me tol a gastro doc he ran blood test after blood test trying to find out what is the causeof my liver being slightly elevated so i went back to my doc Because I was having alot of joint pains so he sent me to a athridius specialist she could find out either so she send got the notes from the gastro Office and sent me a sign letter saying that my doc had some concerns that it might b autoimumnue desease from all the systoms im having hair loss,loss of appett,white parches,eye problems imflame bowels,im. Going threw alot hes trying to do a upper Ercp to see whats going on in my bile duck

Just read your article and am very much interested. I have just had a diagnosis of Mucus Membrane Pemphigoid from a biopsy taken from my gums. I have also recently broken out in a rash on my upper chest and back for which I was put on prednisone. which helped with the rash but only somewhat helped the Pemphigoid. Looking forward to finding some help.

I was diagnosed with autoimmune (anti centromere scleroderma) after finding out I had AF and thyroid conversion problems. I am taking probiotics and Vitamins C, D, B with methyl folate to absorb better, Ioderol, and Adren Plus. I am also eating whole foods and organic grass fed beef and chicken and wild caught fish. I had a food allergy test done a year ago and have a lot of allergies so I have stayed away from those foods only adding a few back to my diet just recently. I had yeast candida and did a cleanse but haven’t been taking anything lately.
My question is, if I’m still suffering with some allergy issues and not sleeping well should I look into doing a detox or cleansing even if tests revealed no parasites or yeast in my system and my liver is fine? I am seeing a homeopathic doctor right now.
Just wanting some other views!!!

I am actually from a third world country, and do notice that allergies are not as big as a problem as it is in the States. I moved here a few years ago and had a very normal life until February of last year. I had Phlebitis on my left leg, basically, my body started acting as if I had blood cloths but none were found, so I was on bed rest for almost 2 months and steroids for a week. It “went away”, then in July it came back with a vengeance. Horrible pain, and again, same issue, body acting as if there was a blood cloth, multiple ultrasounds and everything came back “normal”. Bed rest and treatment and it went away until late Feb and March, back in bed rest, medicine and got back to normal. Now I developed a “unusual” case of hives and Dr’s now believe is autoinmune. The thing is, I do take Omega and B vitamins and every time I try to exercise it’s when I have a flare up. We eat very healthy and NEVER had allergy of any kind prior to all this mess. I have amazing Doctors that are there with me; but I do believe in natural remedies to aid the medicine. But I am at loss at what to do.

I wish it was THAT simple. Clean up your diet, find the allergies, do anti-inflammatory diet.
I do it all plus all the supplements recommended for my condition (Multiple Sclerosis). Plus the anti-inflammatory and adaptogenic herbs. Plus lots of water and air.

I do not “do” gluten in any shape or form, so Celiac is out

I did the chelation therapy for heavy metals (which almost killed me)

I don’t “do” sweets.

Exercise? Are you kidding me? Taking shower is a huge exercise for me. My legs barely move – I am one step away from the Wheelchair.

I know I have Lyme and antibiotics just do not cut it, they just kill my gut flora.

I do supplement with probiotics.

I am glad the guy in your story just got better, but it seems like he had other problems. I was healthy, ate healthy, exercised all of my life.

The only thing I could say – if I did not do it I would have been worse?

I am currently under the care of a new functional medical doctor, who treats with food and supplements. I have a history of chronic sinus infections and I have Hashimoto’s disease as well as Fibromyalgia. My blood work came back and I have 26 food allergies. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s about 8 years ago and was given a brochure and asked why I was at a specialist’s office (endocrinologist) I was given no instruction and told that everyone is fatigued and has gained a few pounds. What other tests should I ask my current doctor to run? What are the best exercises? My adrenals are stressed. I’m low on dhea and my cortisol level is low, I am on supplements for that too. Does this sound like my doctor is on the right track? I’m so skeptical now! Thank you for your time!

I would like to ask you about alopecia areata, which I have had since I was about 5 years old (I am now 22). I have been told that what first started it off was a stressful visit to the dentist, although I don’t remember it. Since then it has come and gone, but for the past 5 years I haven’t been ‘bald patch free’ even when I haven’t been stressed at all for months at a time. I have tried zinc tablets, multivitamins, even bought a juicer and added fresh juices to my diet! Also tried some shampoo’s and serums claiming to re-grow hair, but nothing. The patches do grow back eventually, but then another one appears somewhere else on my head. If you know of anything, dietary, medicinal etc. that can help this condition please let me know, I am currently at the lowest point in my life as the alopecia is the worst it has ever been, I have left my job as my self-confidence is basically non existent, and almost never leave the house unless I really have to.

Also I am quite thin so I am not sure if an all juice, all plant based diet would work for me, I would not like to lose any weight at all.

Hi Rachael,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Yes Yes Yes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to all of the above. Am in stage 5 kidney disease….but when visiting a boston doctor for a transplant evaluation, she noted that she felt I was being treated incorrectly for the wrong type of kidney disease…..I had NEVER been tested to find out exactly which kind I had, therefore had never…in 20 years…been treated correctly. In my own research, I discovered a link to the celiac disease I carry along with other autoimmune issues. My mom and my brother BOTH have kidney disease AND the autoimmune issues I have. There is no question there is a connection. I have never been serious about going gluten free because I do not suffer the problems that others do with the disease and I just didn’t take it seriously…..now I am going to try going totally gluten free and see what happens. I have been depressed, inflamed, overweight, for so many years, I just assumed it was my fate. I could never understand how other people could eat and eat and eat and stay thin when I don’t eat all that much and suffer with such inflammation, bloat and weight. I think that now I do. going to go for it and see what the results of this will be. It would be great to not have to have a kidney transplant !!!

Im 18 years old and since i was About 14 i started developing allergies to topical s and medications, such as lotions, detergents, soap, ibuprofen, benzyl peroxide, ect. and i assumed i had very sensitive skin. I began to buy only hypoallergenic products and the problem stopped. Then i began developing allergies to my makeup if i used the same product too long, so i began to switch products every month. Now im developing allergies to gluten, all medications, birth control, and even nickle. it seems that it is happening more often the older i get and more serious. it sounds to me that i probably have an autoimmune disease because all of my allergic reactions are swelling, and rashes, or stomach problems. but i cant find anywhere online that defines what i have. i was wondering if i could get some feed back and some of your thoughts. thank you so much!

Thank you for sharing your story and for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

My 15-year-old daughter was diagnosed with alopecia areata over two years ago. She was sent to a dermatologist, who gave her topical steroids and eventually steroid injections in her scalp. Nothing helped at all. Although much of her hair regrew, she still has spots that come and go. She grew tired of treatments and we stopped seeing the doctor after a year or so. We could never get the doctor to address the possible causes. She now wears a hairpiece. Recently I have been doing a lot of reading about the relationship of a gluten-free diet to autoimmune conditions. She started a gluten-free diet about three weeks ago. Will definitely update and let everyone know if we have good results with this.

I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis in 2011, put me on Budesinide and athripriozine! My liver enzymes were 850 in August of that year took until Oct. And many test before the diagnosis, after starting the meds my blood work was back to normal by Dec. off Steroids by Feb. continued on the athripriozine until April of 2013 (had shingles in Dec. of 2012). This past Jan . 2014 I had a relapse my liver enzymes were over 1100 so back on the meds. It is now May off steroids, blood is normal, and the Dr. Will keep me on the other meds maybe indefinantly. My liver may have scaring. I exercise daily both aerobic and strength, however I do feel fatigued and have a difficult time sleeping, I also have under actuve thyroid, treated for 16 years. I am 58. I also have started taking nutritional supplements, thanks for clarifying this disease, I would love to hear your ideas on mine! Thanks

Hi there,
how is your daughter going? are you having any improvements with the gluten free thing? My 5 year old son was diagnosed with Alopecia in january. lost all his body hair, head hair and eyebrows. We’ve been to a few specialist but have not gone down the steroid route.
it’s only been a drastic change of diet in the last few weeks. but we are cutting out anything processed, sugar, gluten, dairy, grains. up-ing the minerals, probiotics, lemon juice (to make a more alkaline system) amongst other things.
i am not really seeing hair regrowth as yet but i figure it’ll take a few months for the healing happen.

Hi dr Hyman,
I have hashimotos- I’ve done everything and have worked with a functional med doc- I can’t seem to get my TPO under 1000-
I’ve had a toenail fungus for 25 years untreated – can this be the reason? I’m concerned about the meds treating it? I’m also concerned about a possible hormone imbalance due to pre menstrual issues I have- my TPOs went from 4000 down yo 1000 with everything I’ve done in the last year and a half but clearly there is something else happening- I’m on AIP but I do eat raw almonds a lot- I don’t seem to have any issues with them though-
Any thoughts?
Thank you

If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637 9991.

I am dealing with the same thing…wondering if you have found any more answers. My initial diagnosis started with antibodies greater than 1000 and they have not been down since. The thing I am not sure about is if eating anything not allowed on AIP could there be a reaction inside even if I don’t notice anything outside? I feel like I can eat dairy a bit without any problem but is it wrecking havoc on my immune system without me knowing it. This can be so frustrating! My thyroid is pretty torn up from years of no diagnosis and I hope to salvage what is left!

47 year old female, peri-menopausal. Hashimotos diagnosis 3 years ago. Fluctuating between Hyper and Hypo (TSH <.02 to 10.3) These numbers are from the last 2 months. I have recently started exercising again after many years of no formal exercise. I have recently started to clean up my diet as well. My SED rate is Thru the roof. I get joint issues when Hyper. Knees, hips and ankles. Feel alot better with the exercise and diet changes and have lost 13 pounds in 2 months (37 more to go!). I am on NO MEDICATIONS. I am hoping my new Doctor will listen to me and start me on Naturethroid to help control the rollercoaster of hyper and hypo. I will approach him on my next visit. Any information that I could get to support this would be great! 3 years ago my Thyroid Ultrasound showed heterogenous (destructive) tissue. My one done 2 months ago is "normal" no heterogenous tissue. WHAT DID I DO? I was put on a supplement program that included Iodine and Selenium, B vitamins, Krill, Vitamin C, probiotics Vitamin D3. Unfortunately I fell away from using them in December and my symptoms got worse in February of this year. My new GP is convinced that the supplementation worked for me and I am restarting the supplements. I saw and ENDO about a month ago – He was of no help…He could not tell me why my thyroid ultrasound went from Bad to Good when I asked.. He just said The radiologist read these every day.. they shouldn't be wrong. My GP when I asked him told me it was my SUPPLEMENTS! Any info you can give me to strengthen my case for Naturethroid NOW not when I get worse.. would be appreciated

Hi Karey,
Keep searching for the right healthcare practitioner who will best support your health. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman who can help you with your condition, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637-9991.

Dear sir, i got a little white patch on my chin. i noticed a month back in March. i felt i lost few hairs on that patch. i went to Doctor. He told me its ALOPECIA AREATA. advised me to use . and come back for check up after a month. if the patch is extending then will give you injection of steroids in that area. now i am using it from last couple of days twice a day. but i feel the little white patch is increasing. should i wait for one month or should i change my doctor.
Thanking you in anticipation.

Dr Hyman,
I am a 49 year old female. I have battled with my health for 7 yrs. I have gone to many doctors. I refuse to go to my rheumatologist. I have hypo thyroid, been diagnosed with lupus and latest, symptoms on MS. Hormones are crazily imbalanced, oral thrush, fungal infections. I recently had a biodentist remove an infected tooth and replace the mercury fillings. I am on a diet of meat, veggies, sometimes whole wheat bread and drink daily a morning coffee, and occasionally will have a soda. I drink a fruit smoothie daily with a combination of kale or spinach, raw milk, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, pineapple, and sometimes will add whey protein. I will juice my own veggies a couple times a week. No matter what I do, I dont seem to get any better and I’m so tired of not feeling good. I don’t even remember what it feels like to feel good. please help

Hi Margie,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I am a Massage Therapist and work with people who have all sorts of things. I am also a Certified Aromatherapist. My mission is to help people be the best THEY can be. I DO believe that getting to the root cause is very important. I have experienced both personally and professionally the rejuvenation of health just by getting things out of the diet that is bad for THEM. It might not be the same trigger as someone else’s and food diaries are important. Massage is very important to the healthy immune system also. Reducing stress is very important, and what is stress to some is not stress to others. Western Medicine is VERY one size fits all kind of organization, we are all different! I Believe putting GOOD nutrients from living things into your body is the best nutrition. People have to WANT this more than they want the inflammatory diet, pizza, sodas, fast food, HFCS, doughnuts, artificial sweeteners, ALL COW DAIRY…. and we just lost every one from age 10-50 for sure! Sometimes we are our own worst enemies! I fought IBS for 30 years, cut out milk, some help, but after stopping ALL dairy, cutting back on wheat products and was very picky about when and what and how refined, got a massage once a week, increased fruit and vegi intake and doing a probiotic product daily, with in 3 months I was a new person. all this took years, when I finally gave up CHEESE that was the last hold out it was remarkable! over maybe 6 years I was steadily improving though getting rid of one thing after another, My training as a MT & AT really helped me too. I carried marks, weird red mostly circles on my skin some for as much as 3 years, now if I see them it means I have had some kind of cow dairy… weird but I need no other proof that I should NOT be consuming those products! NO MD in my life has done any work to fix the problems I was having, just make the symptoms less bothersome. WE have to proactive! personally and professionally. thanks for being here and being an advocate for this kind of “health care”!

I’d love to know how typical the results that Dr Hyman talks about are? I feel like I’ve done all the right things–and only continue to get more ill with autoimmune type symtpoms. Some herbal regiments on the chronic lyme theory have made me more ill/triggered autiommune like attacks (not herx’s)-they last for months when stopping the supplements. There are alot of sick people doing all the right things/functional medicine approach on messgeboards and facebook that are not well…… what is Dr. Hyman’s success rate with autoimmune, chronic lyme disease, spectrum diseases with functional medicine?

I am a smoker. I have swollen eyes & face almost through out the day, stiff back,neck, hips and legs, finger joints and toe . I feel there is inflation in joints as movement is painful. Inflammation all over body, symptoms of auto immune disorder etc. clinically except for high triglyceride, borderline diabetes nothing else have been diagnosed. My arms and shoulders are stiff and painful and it is getting worse as i am finding hard to do push ups to strengthen. this problem is going on for years now. please give tips if you can

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I am 61 year old male that up to two years had very few health problems. In July of 2012 I had three major episodes of vertigo, nausea and not wanting or keeping any food down for over 16 hours. Full battery of tests; MRI, Cat scan, testing by an audiologist and an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Diagnoses, Meniere’s. No further episodes until march of 2014. End of 2013 because of a referral due to vision problems was told I have uveitis. This week my dentist informed me I have a low grade infection in a root canal done nearly four years ago. At present I am on methotrexate and folic acid, which seem to be the drugs of choice. There is very little family history to suggest a genetic link, not over weight, no alcohol or drugs. Exercise on semi-regular basis. Eat little fried foods or red meats. In short darn near perfect — except obviously I’m not, Have just started to go to an University Medical Hospital for recommendations but mostly I’m getting a lot of information of what I don’t have. Without any medical training I have a suspicion most the listed problems may well be connected. Anybody have any input as to how wrong I am, what is correct, and what to do about it? Thanks.

Hi, after being nearly dead 2.5 years ago from Hashimoto’s Disease and severe allergies, I started seeing a Dr here in Brisbane, Australia who specialises in Nutrition and Environmental Medicine. He found high heavy metals, lots of parasites, food allergies and intolerances. 2.5 years on and I now no longer have Hashimoto Disease and I have not had a severe allergic reaction for years. Most of my organs now function normally with only a little tweaking left to do. I now eat a Paleo / GAPS diet to heal my Leaky Gut, take nutritional supplements, use essential oils and relieve stress using The Healing Code system along with daily exercise. I have even re-enameled a tooth naturally, without fluoride. For more of my story check out my blog. http://heleadsmesharon.blogspot.com.au

Sorry if some if this doesn’t make sense. My cognition is especially bad the last few days as my mind and body continue to go downhill. Just learning about functional medicine so haven’t begun this journey yet.

I’m now 47, and I have candida turned autoimmune. Prior to 2012 I was a healthy and vibrant single mom working to finish my PhD. I got headaches but other than that I was in pretty good health, minus what I felt was turning into a systematic candida situation in 2011. For months in 2011 I was also exposed to black mold at work. That same year I was bitten by some bug that left a hole in my leg. Since 2012 I have had an intolerance to anything other than proteins. Eating a plum the other day cost me a full days headache. In mid 2012 I was told I probably had MS.

I began asking for hello for the candida thing in mid 2011.
My doctor would not consider it, stating it isn’t an issue unless diabetic or if someone has immune deficiency for some reason. I hadn’t had anything done with the black mold as I was told I would have lung issues. I trust that. However I don’t believe the rest. I met 100% of the symptoms for yeast and fungal overload in 2011 and to date still have not had proper help with this. I’m getting lots of attention for finding a label to explain elevations in ANA though. It came to that in 2013, after no respite from chronic yeast and fungal infections, hair loss, an inability to think to such an extent I had to leave school for awhile, and an inability to eat carbs without feeling run down or sick.

Success early on had been intermittent with getting myself back to normal. When all of this started I begged for some diflucan to treat a bacterial or yeast thing I had (still have chronic BV and other female stuff going on). I told my doctor that on the last day of taking this medication I felt like I was 17 again. The reply to me was “it’s only one day of feeling well so it has nothing to do with the diflucan”. I was devastated. What wasn’t being heard is that I had also been on a very strict diet to help beat the fungal, yeast, bacterial, and possible parasite overload. I was also taking a few natural remedies. The medication was the final help my body needed but we stopped just short of getting me back to homeostasis. I was the only one trying to figure out how to cure myself of this overload.

I tried to heal myself with natural remedies but there are too many testimonials and products online. Trust me, my cabinets have enough natural remedies to fill a small section of a store. I believe some of it has helped but the point is I don’t have a clue what I am doing. I’m not an expert in what precisely I need. What combination , what is first and for how long, is this remedy actually the one and how can I be sure I’m not wasting my time, or even causing more harm? These are rhetorical questions by the way.

If others are contemplating seeing a functional medicine doctor I hope to convey my greatest regret of not doing do sooner. I knew what was wrong with me. It wouldn’t have hurt to treat the things I was requesting help for but my physician did not understand natural remedies and wouldn’t help with the pharmaceuticals due to side effects. As a side note that makes zero sense to me as I’m shocked at the side effects of the meds they want me to try now.

Life is precious yet I have spent 2 years and thousands of dollars, and the goal for my doctors is to find that label. I have only grown more ill and am not being dramatic when I say I feel as If I will die if I do not get some different help. I found out I have mono today. I am devastated. I was told in 2012 my spleen was calcified, and today was told with an unidentified autoimmune I can expect fatigue for about a year. I have felt as if my body is rotting from the inside out for the last 12-18 months. It’s always getting worse, with no more successes like the early days of trying to tackle this. If I had only had the support of an expert.

My body is screaming at me to figure it out. It’s analogous to having my hand rotting off from gangrene and treating everything but that hand. Pretty soon it will spread and be too late. I strongly sense the answer to a cure for me is out there, and simple compared to what I’ve been though. I also strongly sense, from my gut and not my brain, that I am running out of time. I don’t know how else to explain it other than I’m heading down the wrong road and I feel even if it’s too late I still have the choice to try and get on the right one. I am very afraid. I have elevated ANA but no internal inflammation so maybe, just maybe I can not only reverse it but also get to where I was pre 2011.

If anyone has read this far and had not tried a more modern and progressive doctor please do so now. Do not let yourself get worse like I have. It actually can get worse when you think it isn’t possible. Health is a precious thing we can lose at any movement so be proactive and take a holistic approach “with support” from a holistic expert.

In closing I want to say I believe my doctor cares about me. I just don’t know why when one becomes a doctor learning stops. Isn’t being a doctor about continued growth and contributions to the literature? What about using all information within that literature to help your patient heal? In my research it appears functional medicine doctors actually are into disseminating information and helping their patients even if that helping deviated from what was stuck into their heads in med school. I hope there is s functional provider where I am at. This is the road I wish to try in a final effort to save my own life.

Thank you all so much for sharing. I’m grateful I got this link upon googling. I prayed tonight and feel I was meant to stumble upon this. Blessings to all.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It is great to hear that you are finding real help from a functional medicine physician – we truly believe this work not only helps people feel healthier and happier but changes, and even saves lives. Good luck on your journey to health!

I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, psoriasis, eczema, and now am gaining weight and trending diabetic. I have no idea what the real cause is, but have been treated since 2000 for the symptoms. My skin has never looked worse and I feel terrible. I do have a stressful job. I wouldn’t say my diet is terrible, I do exercise, but not enough. I will work through your 9 step program and see how I feel. I am currently on an antibiotic due to a tick bite that became infected, but rarely take them otherwise. I am a 53 year old male and would appreciate any advice you may have.

Unfortunately Dr Hyman cannot provide personal medical advice in this forum. If you would like to make an appointment at Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA please go to:http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/ When you are finished reading through the material you may call the office at After you have reviewed this, please contact our office to make an appointment. By phone, (413) 637-9991; by email, office@ultrawellnesscenter.com

Dr Hyman, I am so glad I found your article! It seems to be answering some questions I haven’t been able to get an answer for. Last year I ended up in the hospital and came out with 7 stents. later in the year Ifound a doc who is a naturopath/MD. He is a bulldog with it comes to detective work. He set out to find out why I have chronic, severe insomnia. And he found out, among other things, that I am Celiac (silent), have high levels of heavy metals, especially arsenic; all my hormones are way low, and heart related stuff is too high. He immediately put me on a slough of supplements, a few prescriptions, and a ketogenic diet.

After trying to follow all this for nearly a year, Istill haven’t lost any weight, sleep better, or feel better. Last week Imet a woman who does bio-energy work to help people discover what their body needs. She doesn’t charge anything, so I thought I would give it a whirl. She said my body’s responses indicate a whole foods diet instead of a ketogenic diet, but that my body doesn’t want any grains, citrus/tropical fruits except bananas, or dairy except goat’s milk and cheese. And all of it needs to be organic.

When I read this article, it seemed to verify that I need to make the change to whole foods. Nevertheless, I do wonder what you think of ketogenic diets?

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/

About 15years ago my son young adult came to you and I believe you saved his life ….diagnosed celiac disease and deficiencies and after extensive testing put him on the right track ,he lost weight ,ate better,and began living again…..at the time he was living in NYC and saw the top ranked doctors at the various teaching hospitals after being misdiagnosed he underwent serious surgery …in shutter to think where he would be if he had not believed in you and you had not been available for an appointment”…..
However I have various health issues which run along the lines of your patient “Sam” I will not go into the details but from your books and treatment of my son know your would be able to connect the dots…..my main concern (beside my going from a young energetic senior to an old lady who wants to live but can’t…..). Is that my adult healthy daughter is now obese and manifests some of the same issues and my son has some symptoms.
Since you are now doing mostly writing ,talk show appearances and have patients such as B ill Clinton. I have no way of obtaining your vast expertise…nor does my son who is currently residing in Florida…
Short of reading your generalized advice what can we do ?.??

Hi Judith,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Hi I have recently been diagnosed with Alopecia I have several bald patches and my hair is thining. I have also been treated in the past with Irritable bowel and Lychen Sclerosus. I believe these are all to do with an autoimmune disease?

Over the last couple of years my 27 year old son has been diagnosed with at least 4 autoimmune disorders: Sjögren’s syndrome, scleroderma, Lupus. and autoimmune hepatitis. He also had webbing in his throat. I have also noticed that he has extremely thin hair, which is not typical for anyone in the the family. He does not currently have insurance and has applied for disability as he is unable to work at this point.

I guess I have 2 questions:

1. Where can you direct me for the most immediate helpful information? I am disabled and have a low attention span and cannot spend a lot of time searching for what I need to know.

2. As I was reading this article I began to wonder if there was a genetic component to this since My mother has dry eyes and thyroid problems and has struggled with depression and her weight, and I struggle with deep depression, low concentration and weight too? Is there a specific article you can refer me to that has information on this?

I have read through the comments and know you cannot provide individualized advice, I am only looking for you to provide me with references I can look at. This would be a great deal of help.

Hi Katherine,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide your son the proper care he needs we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you and your son the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I am diagnosed with uveitis from couple of years and currently on methotrexate. t has helped reducing inflamation however still dont know root cause beind this. can somebody share the experience or solution to cure this. Thanks.

Hi Melissa,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Granuloma Annulare Is a skin condition with no known cause. I’ve tried steroid treatments, UV treatments and liquid ice. None of these has worked at all and my GA is recently coming back more than normal.The cream the Dr gave me began to deteriorate my skin, when in reality that’s not what I need, even though its just the bumps that really bother me, ID’ like to get the root of my problem

I am a 27 year old female. Up until 2010 i was extremely healthy, no problems at all. In 2010 i was diagnosed in Type 1 diabetes. I have the disease pretty much under control and doing very well with it. I recently was diagnosed with colitis back in 2013. I have been trying for the past year to get this under control. I also have nodules on my thyroid which have been tested and are not cancerous. Overall, everything else is find. All blood tests and organ function tests come back normal. What can i do to help and make sure I dont get any additional autoimmune problems and try and get these two under control?

Hi Danielle,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

My beautiful 8 year old granddaughter has a skin disorder called Vitiligo and has several white patches in various places on her body, we were told by doctors that it is caused by autoimmune disease. My question is, can this be cured and can pigmentation be restored to her skin?

Hi Deana,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide your granddaughter the proper care she needs, we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Hi JoJo,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Yes!….I have stage 5 kidney disease..was never biopsied for the underlying cause and was treated as if it were caused by high blood pressure…when actually, the high blood pressure and diabetes was caused by the kidney disease. I am a celiac (endoscopy done), have thyroid issues, psoriasis and definately have a problem with inflamation. I am really angry that it took ME to research and find a connection. Doctors need to be re educated….ugh….I need to find something better but cannot afford to see someone who does not accept my health insurance…..I will have to keep researching and find a way to do all of this myself.

I have been diagnosed with hoshimoto thyroid disease, thyroid nodules, high blood pressure, weight gain and difficulty losing weight, Crohn’s disease, and pre-diabetes. I have been working with my doctor and a nutritionist for a couple of years. I recently retired from my job because I felt the stress was contributing to my health problems. I have been told that I have an autoimmune deficiency. I am 58 years old and I am unhealthier than my 69 year old sister. Type 2 diabetes runs in the family on my mother’s side. All of my maternal aunts, my grandmother, and my mother all died from complications of diabetes. I am currently on a low fiber, low residue diet. I am so frustrated and overwhelmed by my situation. I do take vitamin supplements prescribed by my doctor and nutritionist. Any suggestions?

Hi Teresa,
It sounds like you are taking charge of your health and seeking solutions to take your health to the next level. Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

PLEASE HELP!! I am convinced my psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are caused by leaky gut syndrome but I cannot find a doctor to take me seriously!!! I live in a part of the country that, I guess, has never heard of Functional Medicine. The doctors I have seen just want to suppress my immune system, but I have had NO SUCCESS!!! I read all I can from Dr. Hyman and Dr. Oz and others, but you just tell me to work with my doctor….I am BEYOND frustrated and STRESSED…..I don’t know where to go. I can’t afford to go out of state to find a doctor that understands and can treat me so I guess I will just live miserably and try to self treat. I just need help….

Hi Kelley,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there. This will give you a headstart in finding the right doctor!
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I know that there is the website you can look at to check for functional medicine practitioner, however there’s so many options and different doctors, I’m not sure if I’d be better off with a rheumatologist thats certified or a nutritionist or where to go from there. Is there anyone in Michigan off that list that you would recommend? I’m desperate to find the step in the right direction to find out the root of this auto immune disease and all my symptoms.

This is an important article…we forget that autoimmune conditions are actually immune imbalances. Autoimmune thyroiditis such as Hashimoto’s or Graves are not Thyroid diseases…they are immune imbalances that are affecting the thyroid. Balance the immune system and you cool the autoimmune inflammation. There is a need to shift the conversation of autoimmune disease to predictive diagnosis, there are now robust panels available that screen for diverse triggers of immune imbalance. Each individual trigger is not definitive for autoimmune illness, but the more you have, the higher the probability that you eventually will have autoimmune inflammation. This is juxtaposed on your individual genetic make-up, but a loaded gun still needs someone (or something) to pull the trigger. Thanks for the great summary.

After 18 years of on and off thyroid problems, starting with an OB asking how long I had had my goiter in my first pregnancy (I was shocked and exclaimed I don’t have a goiter!) I started really falling apart two years ago. I had been on and off synthroid but it never really seemed to help and often my blood test came back normal. Then I had one doctor say, even with my numbers in the normal range, that if I thought I had a thyroid problem that they could just take it out. Without even really knowing what was going on!!! So two years ago I really started falling apart as I said. I was having horrible periods that left me at the brink of incapacitated due to excessive bleeding and pain. My hair was falling out in clumps, I was having panic attacks, I was vegetarian and a lot of the time vegan and yet had gained a ton of weight, and my moods were awful. I finally went to a naturopath and she tested my thyroid antibodies and sure enough they were over 1000 (supposed to be under 35). So I finally found out I had Hashimotos. Since then it has been quite the journey. I went gluten free immediately and she started me on a supplement and diet program. I also started progesterone (and actually knew I likely had estrogen dominance because I almost lost my daughter due to low progesterone). She believed in the Blood Type Diet but it just didn’t quite sit with me and so through my own research I found paleo. I lost weight and all of the major debilitating symptoms almost instantly. Unfortunately about 6 months later I started gaining weight again and have had on and off symptoms returning since then. Primarily they are hair loss, mood, energy and weight gain. I have had to shuffle through a few doctors also. I also have have IBS like issues (never diagnosed) and so am dealing with that too. My newest doctor has me going through an elimination and reintroduction program after having used Repairvite. My last blood test showed that the antibodies had not gone down…still over 1000. I finally found that I am allergic to eggs (severely) and tree nuts (moderately). I have realized how important sleep and stress are but unfortunately those are extremely difficult to address with a teen with mental health issues so I am working on that. I recently finished my Masters degree so that is one stress that is off the table at least. I just feel like now I have to really work on the small tweaks. Am thinking now that incorporating some of the GAPS diet principles might be helpful to deal with the stomach issues. I have a very hard time with sweet cravings but have been pretty good lately. I finally had a thyroid ultrasound and have two 5-6 mm nodules and diffuse thyroid tissue…so it seems that there has been significant damage. I never cheat on gluten but sometimes have grains here and there as well as potatoes and dairy. In addition my doctor found that my nasal passages are very swollen as well as my glands and thinks I could have sleep apnea. The sleep study will have to wait because of lack of funds but hopefully that too will provide some answers. Initially upon going paleo I lost most of my seasonal allergies but they have returned so something I am idoing is a problem…again dealing with the fine tuning! This is the hard part. Someone close to our family has been dealing with cancer this past year and it is amazing how people rally around a cancer patient (no argument at all that they need the support and help) but it is so hard for people to understand how much of a struggle it can be with an autoimmune disease to just move through the day. Sometimes I really just feel like I can barely go up and down my stairs and that is exhausting enough to require a nap! I just want my body back!

Amy, I can relate to most of your problems. Was wrongly treated and misdiagnosed 15+ years. Made some doctors very rich and myself poor over the years… I don’t know how to lower the antibodies apart from selenium and the diet we are following. Maybe we have other immune issues as well hindering that success! I’m on your path and thanks to websites like Dr Hyman’s will be able to heal one day. Don’t give up!
I also suffer from IBS and low progesterone and all the other common deficiencies. It is hard to fight on all levels and there is no sympathy for us! Why can’t we get a document similar to Morbus Addison sufferers when dealing with docs or being in ER due to severe allergic reactions etc.? Maybe one day there will be holistic hospitals, not only for the rich and famous! By spreading the news we maybe can hope for a better future for at least our children or nieces etc.
It is so hard to stay gluten/ dairy and sugar free! Eat organic meat though!
Had the same ultrasound result!

Hi Mike,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I have two cases to speak of: one being my boyfriend’s, the other being my sister. Both have a very severe auto immune condition that they are battling. I will first address my boyfriend’s:

Two years ago he got a cat bite which gave him warm auto immune hemolytic anemia. We’ve done steroids, he recently had a splenectomy and prior to this, we were actually getting treated by another very reputable MD who was a herbalist. My boyfriend got to a very low dose of the steroids with the tincture, but once he went totally off of the prednisone his levels were terrible. Of course our western doctors don’t advocate for herbal therapy, so convinced him he needed to have his spleen out. He is now taking folic acid and steroids and tapering down and hopefully off of both the folic and the steroids forever. He is at ten MGs which is a phenomenal improvement from before – prior to the surgery, without his herbal tinctures he had to be at 140MG of steroids to stabilize. I’m wondering what kinds of foods he should be eating or avoiding. For the most part he avoids gluten and I make a point of cooking all of our meals from scratch. Had he stayed on the tinctures for longer before, could he have healed? I’ve heard some interesting things about the water diet but you are not supposed to take medication, which would not work for him as he’s tapering off the steroids. Does it sound like he will totally get off of them? Our western doctor has been advocating for chemo therapy if he doesn’t improve, which clearly nobody wants. Now for my sister.

My sister had various problems as a child and had an ovary removed. she was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and the doctors have concluded that she has an extremely rare auto immune disease which is attacking all of the organs in her body. It started with her as a child, has made its way to her pancreas and is now attacking her kidneys. Bladder control has become difficult. She is also 25 years old, so it seems that the pace is quickening. I am desperately trying to get her to consider alternative therapies but she doesn’t “believe in it”. What kinds of supplements should be taking? What should she be avoiding? What is this auto immune disorder that she has, and is there a way for her to recover from it? The doctors seem to think not…

Thank you to anyone who is reading this and can lend some advice. I really appreciate it and want to see the people I love so much get back to their happy, normal selves.

Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide your boyfriend and your sister the proper care they need we hope they will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I have been told I have an autoimmune disorder, so far 7 months of trying to get treatment that will help with no success. I have taken prednisone, reactine, benadryl and many more stronger drugs with no improvement. The last doctor told me to go home and take a baby asiprin. I thought wow and our medical is paying her. I’m presently seeing a Chinese Medicine Doctor and she is changing out my diet right now so I am giving it a chance.

I’ve been diagnosed with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura. My doctor is treating me like a slot machine for Prednizone and thinking seriously about cutting out my spleen because it’s working too well.

I’ve been given no medical advice at all. All I’ve been told is that my platelet count is too low and I have to take horrible medications in hope that they will help or mutilate my body to keep it from hurting itself more. The pills haven’t helped. As soon as I stop feeling my heart beat in my eyes my platelets go right back down. I went from feeling healthy and well to feeling like hell all the time while they constantly remind me that I’m not getting better.

I don’t even know where to begin to find the cause. I had hoped that as a medical expert my doctor might have had some suggestions but so far he’s been less helpful than the most passive article on the internet on the topic. My current desperate effort is to stop taking all of the other medications I’ve been on including birth control and anti depressants in case they are causing the problem.

I will be using your advice here and asking my doctor to run some tests for heavy metals and specific GI infections. Hopefully if I tell him what specific tests I want that will be enough for him to do something other than torture me and make me wait for the worst.

Hi Ashley,
If you decide you’d like to find a local doctor that practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hey doc
I truely believe in what your talking about and wish my significant other had the faith to get excited by medicine or certain people in medicine that practice as you do. She has ulcerative colitis and is now taking remicade treatments every 8 weeks. She takes immuran and takes ascical(spelled wrong). These meds help but doesn’t cure the problem, just treat the symptoms. Her last colostomy wasn’t that bad but there is still disease in the desending colon with scaring in the transverse. I know in my heart that this disease can be cured and feel terrible for her. I read about taking enemas with good poop to instill good bacteria and the success that treatment has had and this just reinforces my belief that bad bacteria is one of the attackers of her gut. Would really be interested in hearing your thoughts. I have found a doc that kind of believes the way you do and i myself am going thru major blood test right now and Lisa is going to do the same thing. I’m pretty healthy and really just want to know about myself but Lisa is the important one.

Hi Robert,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will continue with your doctor. If you are interested in finding a locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Hi Sandy,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I’m Jaswinder Singh a year 12 student studying Biology. I was writing an essay on autoimmune diseases and this has helped a lot, I know I should be asking my teacher this but I still was wondering if you could help me on my essay by telling me how I should layout my work. Hopeful you reply as soon as possible sir.

I have just been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I am a 76 year old female and have always been in good health so this was a surprise and shock. I have always exercised, eaten balanced healthy meals, not smoked, drank minimally, and have not felt stressed. It happened so suddenly with two slightly swollen, red, fingers; progressed to a painful shoulder; and then went into a full-blown flare one morning upon awakening. Every joint was intensely painful and stiff; I could barely move. Could not kneel down, could not get up, could not open jars, could not get a spoon to my mouth. Doctor gave me a low dose of prednisone, took several blood tests, found I had two markers for RA and has prescribed methotrexate. Also Vitamin D which was low. In the mornings I pain a bit then by lunchtime and beyond I feel fine. I am worried about the side effects of methotrexate but rely on the specialist to not overdo the dosage and moderate and manage this problem for me. I am aware of the other possible damage to heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, etc. of unmanaged RA.

Hi Diana,
Thank you for sharing your story and for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I am delighted to find this post. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all. I have Sjogren’s Syndrome and live in South Africa. I have taken Gluten and sugar out of my diet but still not feeling great so reading your article I do believe that I need to search for a Doctor like Dr Hyman but alas where to start?
There is little to no support here in South Africa for Immune Deceases so I am in the process of setting up a website for Sjogren’s sufferers. I need to get people together so we can find Doctors and other alternate therapist who are on the same page. I am passionate about putting my illness into remission but I also feel a bigger calling to help those less fortunate who are also suffering. This decease humbled me and brought me to my knees with despair.
Would it be possible to post you article on the site I am creating with a link to your site as there is so much info on the internet and I would love to direct sufferers to what is the truth.
Grateful, Cathy

Hi Cathy,
Yes, please share Dr. Hyman’s posts to help others improve their health. As long as you provide credit, we are happy to share! If you haven’t searched for practitioners in South Africa already, you can locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman at http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hello – I had my colonoscopy yesterday (I’m 43) and on my report it says…An area of mildly friable (with contact bleeding) mucosa was found at the splenic flexure. My follow up appointment is not until the end of September. From the research I have been doing, it sounds like I have IBD; colitis. Will the UltraSimple Diet help to ease, if not cure this disease? If so, I’m all in!

Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. The UltraSimple Diet will help lower inflammation and eliminates many common food allergens. Both of these may help reduce the symptoms of IBD/colitis. We recommend that you work with your doctor for a diagnosis of your condition and the appropriate dietary approach to support your health.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I apparently have an autoimmune skin disorder, and exercise seems to bring on the outbreaks. It’s really frustrating because I hate being out of shape. I tried working out for the first time in two months yesterday, and my skin now has hive-like bumps all over my torso and ankles. Going back to the doctor’s again, but this is frustrating….

Hello Jan,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I am overweight, have been diagnosed with hbp, thyroid disease, gerd, depression, and now mixed connective tissue disease poor circulation in my left leg. Im tried of taking meds, basically, I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. I cant walk up stairs without having pain and shortness of breath. I have had heart tests and its fine, have had upper and lower gi’s and they found nothing. I have a granddaughter and I want to be able to play with her and enjoy life.

Hi Debbie,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in May 2014 and am currently being treated with the following medication,
Methotrexate, 20mg weekly, Prednisolone 20mg daily, Plaquenil 400mg daily and 5mg folic acid daily.
My inflammation levels have halved since diagnosis but I am worried about the long term and side effects of the medication.
Reading these posts it may seem changes in diet are definitely required, I have cut out sugar and diary products and would greatly like to hear from fellow sufferers as to how diet has improved their situation.

Hello, I’m 66 yrs old, and due to the new drugs made available very recently I have been ‘cured’ of Hepatitis C. That’s been a real blessing because I have had the virus for about 40 years. My general heath, amazingly enough, has been relatively good, considering. However, after I finished my 3 month treatment for Hep C and was deemed cured, the doctor decided to do a few more blood tests. Now I am being told I have acquired an Auto-Immune disease. My body sees to have decided that my liver no longer belongs in my body. I wonder if, because the virus lived in my body for so long, that, with it being gone, a virus free liver is read by my body as being foreign. This whole thing is devastating. Granted, my liver has considerable damage from the virus, but all in all, I felt my future was much brighter. I feel I have an exceptionally good gastroenterologist who has been thorough and very understanding and helpful. However, I don’t know his position concerning treating this new problem. After reading your findings on the subject, I was very impressed. The though of treating this auto immunity with a ‘band-aid’ really doesn’t sit well with me. I am going for a biopsy this coming week to determine exactly how much damage the the virus did to my liver/body before the doctor proceeds with treatment. I guess my questions are: 1. Could curing the Hep C virus have confused my body into thinks that the virus free liver is an intruder? 2,I want advice as to what to do and where to look for a doctor who treats patients by way of functional medicine? Any help concerning these questions will be much appreciated. Thank You.

Hi Linda,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Thanks Dr. Hyman for the information above. My 9 yr old daughter is suffering from lichen planus and the doctor has suggested cortisteriod ointment to be applied. Can you please give your advice on how to help her come back to normal where she want be targeted again by her immune system. Thanks in advance.

I was diagnosed with MS in April of this year. I am 35 years old.The neurologists just wanted to put me on drugs like Rebif and Copaxeone. When I told them I would like to find an alternative they laughed me off and said that if I didn’t take these it would just get worse and there was nothing to do about it. I asked about diet and they just said to eat healthy with no explaination. When I went back for more MRIs it showed a pretty rapid progression. I fired the neurologists and decided to find my own answers. I am not a doctor or scientist so this was difficult. There is a lot of information to sift through. I hired an ND who got me started on Vitamin D (which made a huge difference very quickly in my symptoms) as well as fish oil, probitotics, and scheduled a round of IgG testing. I turned out to be allergic to dairy, every grain, yeast, soy, and a number of other things that are not the common allergies. I have since completely eliminated all of them from my diet and my acid reflux and IBS have both gone away. I also went to a hypnotherapist to work on stress management issues. I have personally studied herbs for healing for many years and began to apply that knowledge to myself and my understanding of MS. I have ginger tea every day for its great anti inflammatory properties. I also take a walk in the park every day that the weather allows and have an afternoon nap to combat the fatigue. I still have some issues but they are considerably better then they were just a few months ago when this all began. I am glad to see someone in the medical profession looking for actual answers instead of bandaids for these problems.

I’m a 26 year old female in the Sacramento California area. I was diagnosed with lupus 2 years ago at the age of 24. I am on 1,000 mg of cellcept a day, 500 mg of plaquinal a day, and 5 mg of prednisone a day. My doctor tells me I need to take these pills every day for the rest of my life to live. I find this had to believe. I’m very concerned about the side affects of these drugs. Without western medicine I wouldn’t be alive today . I would like to find a holistic doctor in my area to give me guidence. Recently I have changed my diet for the most part. Became a vegetarian. Cut GMOs out…and I do feel better. I just need some help to see if I’m on the right path and a doctor that will help me get off all these meds

Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Three years ago I was diagnosed with an advanged-stage, Lupus-like autoimmune disorder; I was given one year to live. Since I didn’t know much about the disease, I started doing research – a lot of it. I came across some interesting information on fermented foods, so I thought I’d try them. I knew they couldn’t kill me, since I was dying anyway. I refused all standard medical treatment (NSAIDS, steroids, anti-carcinogenics and anti-malarials).

I started with a six-week detoxification plan. Although I did it gradually, the Herxheimer reaction was rather severe. During this time, I began brewing Kombucha and Kefir; fermenting pickles, sauerkraut and kimchi; making my own yogurt. After the detox period, I began to consume all the fermented foods I had been preparing. I began to feel somewhat better.

Six months into my food regimen, my tests came back with ZERO auto-immune markers! The doctors knew there were no mistakes in the results, since I’d had many tests (all with the same doctors). My physicians, interestingly, acknowledge that my dietary changes likely caused the turn around (I expected them to deny it).

I am still fermenting, and teaching others how to do the same. I am now also on a 90% GMO-free diet. I feel wonderful, and am thankful that I was able to both find the information on fermentation, and work with enlightened medical professionals.

This article has given me hope. My six year old son was an active energetic happy boy until about a year ago. Now he has multiple allergies, rashes, eczema, and difficulty walking and is completely unable to run. I have taken him numerous times to doctors and have had no answers and no help. I’m terrified if I don’t get him proper help he will get worse until he is in a wheelchair or worse. Do you have any references that can help me find a good functional medicine doctor. I live in Canada but will travel wherever I need to help him.

Hi Crystal,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you and your son the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I have severe natural rubber latex allergies and many, many cross reactive food allergies. I am hearing that many latex allergic people develop autoimmune disorders. Is there effective treatment for latex allergies in a program like this? My allergist says to just practice avoidance and treat as I react, there is no treatment plan to prevent reactions

Hi Michelle,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Dear Doctor Sir,
I am from India.My son is 15 years old.Before six monthe he was suffering from fever,sore throat and increasing WBC. In starting, for first month doctors had treated him for viral infection and he was on high dose of antibiotics like meropenam, lenox,amikacin and many more.But, he was not getting well.Then we shifted him to MUmbai from Ahmedabad (where does we live).At that time doctor diagnosed AOSD (Adults onset stills disease).He was taken of prednisolone 40mg daily.Then tapper down 5mg per week.He taken Prednisone for 3 months and got well from fever.After that he is now suffering from joints pain body pain in different parts of the body. Now, he is taking Naprosyn-200 and Hydro Chloroquine Sulphate (HCQS) tablets 2 time per day.But, there is a no any recovery.These pains are increasing day by day.

Sir, Please suggest me what to do.If there is a need i can come to USA.Please help me.

Hello Arvind,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide your son the proper care he needs we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Hello,
I am 25 yrs old female. I am from India and student of Medical Laboratory Technology at Manipal University. I have been diagnosed lumbar Spondylitis 2 yrs back and recently diagnosed with cervical spondylitis. I have vitiligo since 15yrs, migraine, both side TMJ problem, left side neck swelling since 6 yrs and my doctors suspected it as fibromyalgia. I feel tired most of the time. Due to stress and workload also I get TMJ locking, clicking, left hip joint, knee joint and ankle pain. Every month I get migraine without fail and end up with vomiting continuously 8 to 9 times and sleep off empty stomach. I don’t drink tea, coffee, I can’t digest bread, onion, oily food items and spicy chicken items. Last week I had viral fever and was admitted in our hospital. Since then i am feeling very weak and tired. My mother has hypothyroidism, she also has been diagnosed with spondylitis 10 yrs back, she has asthma and HTN.

When I was admitted with high fever, my doctor started Vit. B12 IV injection of 3 sets. Now I am taking Calcimax, D3 must and Supradyn tablets. Since 2 months I am under Occupational Therapy in our hospital (KMC, Manipal). I am doing exercises daily and even I do Pranayama. I know I have autoimmune disorder and I am under medication. But this is also true that autoimmune cannot be completely cured. After reading Dr. Hymans I felt hopeful about the betterment of my condition. Kindly suggest me what all the steps I can take to overcome this problem. Can this be reversed? I need a proper guidance.

Hello Ramya,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hello, I have not been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, but I just started working with Dr. Gil Kajiki on my ‘hypothyroid’ condition, which may have been misdiagnosed 5 years ago. At that time, my naturopath prescribed Nature Throid, and in the last 3 years, bio-identical hormones. The amount of Nature Throid has been increased 3 times, and things continued to get worse. It reached crisis proportions 5 weeks ago, when hives began to appear, and by September 21st, my right eye was completely swollen shut with edema and hives covered my face and neck.
I started Dr. Hyman’s 10 day Detox protocol over the summer and was warming up to doing the 10 day this fall, then this happened! Now due to what looked like an ‘allergic’ response with the hives, my diet is much more strict than Dr. Hyman’s, and all potential allergens and high-histamine foods are out for now. That means no more avocados, spinach, tree nuts and seeds, which eliminated my favorite DH smoothie!! I have been on the strict diet for almost two weeks now with no change in the hives (except less inflammation and swelling, likely due to diet). I am concluding it is not a food allergy and is pointing to autoimmune.
I am so relieved to see that your patient recovered, and look forward to my work with Dr. Kajiki over the next few months, confident that I will recover from my symptoms and enjoy a healthy life again! After seeing several MD’s in the last month who treated the hives symptom with every steroid known to man, and being told I would have to take anti-histamines every day of my life, I am so glad to have found functional medicine and doctors willing to look for the root cause, address it, and treat the ongoing disease process. It gives me hope!

My name is Jess Walsh, and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease almost two years ago. I also have a history of severe allergies. I have experienced frustration in my treatment as I feel that the prescription of synthetic hormone is not sufficient care in any treatment of thyroid disease.

Hi Jess,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Hi!
In March of this year (2014), my perfectly healthy 18 year old son was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis, along the lines of Bikerstaff brainstem. He has spent the majority of this year, in and out of the Children’s hospital. It has now been eight months since this all began. The doctors have him on prednisolone 25mg/day and monthly IVig two day doses. He still is not much better. My question to you is, are all autoimmune illnesses responsive to diet? Even in the brain? I’ve had mixed answers, with some physicians saying inflammation does not cross the blood brain barrier and others who say it does. Thank you for your advice.

My Wife 40 is suffering from Skin Autoimmune Disease Lichen Planus , since last 10 years with extreme itching condition… her lower body and shoulders are badly effected with lichens and she is forced to scratch her body mosr of the times and itching is almost unstoppable. we have tried all kinds of treatments but no cure and day by day her situation is going from bad to worse…
please help…

Hello Nadeem,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you and your wife the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hi doctor, I would like to ask you some questions regarding this autoimmune disease issues. My mum had been diagnosed with psoriasis and since then she has been seeking everywhere for a solution. My question is, will it help if I make her drink fresh juice to improve her immune system? Because from what I know, auto-immune disease is caused by the body’s own immune system. Given this circumstances, should I still try to improve her immune system as a mean to alleviate her syndrome?

Hi John,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide your mum the proper care she needs we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I have an autoimune disease, psorisis of feet and hands. Been to several Drs. and Derms Was given Mehoderate (may be mispelled).messed up my liver, kidney, and thyroid. Was advisd by 3 Drs and my Derm not to take any more meds and told me there was nothing else he could do.Dr. says my liver, kidneys and thyroid is back in normal range now. I am 75 yrs. and this came on me full blast 2 yrs ago.
I asked God to help me find something to keep this disease under control. I discovered Kefir on the net and now am making water kefir, milk kefir and yogurt and consuming this every day I am better as a whole, but still have days that my feet and hands crack very bad and so painful but not as bad as when I could not walk at all. If you can give me any advise I would appreciate it. I read the 9 steps. Do you have any knowledge of natural treatment for PPP? Medicare and my Ins won’t pay for a Dr. of this kind.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi Mary,
Did you know you can work with Dr. Hyman’s nutritionists virtually? For personalized nutrition coaching where you can receive 1:1 support with Registered Dietitians, please see: http://store.drhyman.com/Store/List/Coaching-Programs.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hello
I have been diagnosed with Refractive Celiac. We have tried a low dose steroid and then Predisone and Imuran but I am feeling worse now than before I started all the medications. I was wondering if you might be able to point me in a direction for more causes my disease.

Hello Tilly,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

My girlfriend has been diagnosed with a auto immune disease, She has been to many specialists and have just prescribed her high doses of steroids and antihistamines. She breaks out in severe hives affecting every aspect of her life. We have found that wheat and sugar cause reaction along with stress and emotions (such as if she gets upset). The specialists Have done nothing but prescribe drugs even when we have mentioned it could be food they shut it down straight away.

Hi Matthew,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide your girlfriend the proper care she needs we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you both the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

An interesting article that has got me thinking particularly about the allergy testing
I have had chronic ulcerative colitis for 14+ years. In is in remission following treatment with Pentasa and Azathioprine. The bloating associated with the early diagnosis has returned and I am looking to change lifestyle and diet.
I think the cause of my UC is probable the various drugs I took for chronic acne when I was a teenager, some included sulphur type compounds.
I am looking to eliminate wheat and grains. I have noticed adverse effects from eating flour based products such as bread.
No questions as such but I will post on my progress.

Hello Dr. Hyman,
I am relieved to have found your blog. Since 2010 I have had recurring inverse psoriasis that I never had before. I went for allergy tests last year and the Allergist said I have a lot of inflammation in my body. I didn’t quite know what she meant until now. In 2007 I was diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome. Recently the psoriasis has spread over my body (apparently another form of psoriasis). Over the past week my hands have become covered in psoriasis, including my palms. I have been thinking there has to be an underlying cause for all of this! Your blog has put me on the path to finding out what the underlying cause is and fixing it for good. Thanks again.

I am 26 years old and have been experiencing inflammation problems in my foot, hand, knee, back, neck, and shoulders, including a frozen shoulder for the past year. After many doctor visits with internal med doctors, ortho doctors, and a rheumatologist, there has been nothing discovered to pin point what is causing this except for my “loose joints.” I’ve always been flexible in most of my joints, and my rheumatologist said that was causing my muscles to not work properly and become inflamed. I was sent to physical therapy for my shoulder, but during those workouts, my other shoulder started to hurt almost worse than the frozen one. I do now have full rotation in both shoulders, but they are still quite sore and weak. Sometimes exercising my shoulders help, but they still are always in some level of pain. I’ve been doing the stationary bike for me knee, but it still gets pretty sore. Apparently my ankles roll and put down bad pressure on my knee. Sleeping is hard sometimes, it always seems like I can’t get comfortable. Something is ALWAYS hurting. I would like to try changing my diet, although relatively healthy already, to something with more of the anti-inflammatory foods. Thank you for your suggestions. This is definitely a good starting point.

My doctor after having one high CCP count sent me to a rheumatologist. She said I was presenting atypical and didn’t think I had rheumatoid arthritis, and to come back and see her when I had, if I had more symptoms. I year later I had a flare in my hands and went back to see her, although all negative in my blood work, she wanted to put me on methotrexate right away. I asked for some time to do some research and found a naturopath doctor, and after seeing him and going through some dietary changes Apple cider vinegar etc. I feel 100% better without taking toxic drugs. Both my GP and my rheumatoid doctor were just quick to fill me full of drugs and not tell me exactly what was going on. And also not even giving me hope that these drugs would help at all. I so believe in your research and theory I will continue to do so and hope to remain flare free. My natural path does not feel I have RA. And I will continue to work with him along with my GP.

Have you been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease? I am a 38 year old woman who was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease after my daughter was born and I have not felt “well” ever since. It has been 5 years. My doctor prescribed Synthroid and monitors my TSH levels – that’s it. I have not been able to find one single Endo or physician that is open to the idea that there is more than TSH levels going on. They said that my joint pain is gout, my chronic sinus infections are allergies, my UTI’s are poor hygiene, and diet has nothing to do with thyroid disease so my obesity is only poor diet on my part. My hypertension has been helped with lasix but is not recommended long term.

I have taken the meds prescribed to treat infections and changed my diet some to help. I have started acupuncture and have had some positive results. I am active during the day but pain does not motivate me to do more and taking meds to help with the pain is not appealing on top of all of the existing meds… I wake up every day hopeful and happy to be alive – happy to be a parent and student. But it is every day that I am frustrated by the fact that I just don’t ever feel well. I am also very frustrated by the fact that new medicine and new ideas are expensive and not accepted by insurance. It often feels like this disease is not taken seriously. A thyroid controls everything so how can it not be taken seriously?

Im 47 year old female with IC, IBS and Acid Reflux. Ive been miserable past 3 years and have gained so much weight that I cant get rid of. I have no energy, no sex drive, constantly having IBS attacks with diarrhea and have to drag myself out of bed everyday to go to work. My personal life and relationship is deteriating quick.I’ve had hormone levels checked and was put on a Progesterone cream but havent gotten much relief. Im so sick of all the meds and not being able to eat or drink things like a normal person. I take 6 prescription drugs, pain meds, probiotics, and lots of other supplements hoping for some relief.

Hi Ruby,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

HI,
Just to say that after decades of fluctuating illness – getting worse – I asked for my thyroid to be checked. I’d previously had it checked when most of my hair fell out and I was exhausted, stressed, depressed and been told it was ‘borderline’ under active (TSH 5). Twelve years later I developed alopecia areata for the third time (had also suffered from hives) and this time my thyroid was bad enough to merit treatment. My hair grew back. I continued to feel tired, depressed. Developed IBS. Never once was it suggested that I might have a problem with gluten (was already vegan and off dairy which had cleared childhood hand eczema and constant dreadful congested and streaming colds). In the end I paid for a test myself with Cyrex and discovered that I have high IgA antibodies to many components of gluten. I had previously paid for an IgG test which revealed nothing. Off gluten I no longer have IBS, depression, my eyesight has improved, stress levels much reduced. I had been told that my thyroid would eventually be destroyed by the antibodies. I would love to discover one day that I no longer need thyroid medication, but It is probably too late – I am now 55 and was undiagnosed for so long. I am very interested in this idea of functional medicine, in particular the psychopathological elements of bodily disease that are ameliorated when the root problem is addressed. In fact this will be the subject of my MA dissertation. I am finally beginning to think clearly again after a lifetime (really) of illness. Good luck with your work and to all seekers of health.

Hello Dr. Hyman,
I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s but my thyroid hormones are normal. I also suffer from joint pain, muscle pain (diagnosed as fibromyalgia) and I’ve had my uterus removed because of adenomyosis. I have had capsulitis of my shoulder, swollen knees and bursitis of my hip but have recovered from those except for swelling of the knees now and then. My blood work shows low iron, low platelets, low WBC. I have been seeing a Naturopath and followed her advice: remove food allergens after doing an elimination diet – I can’t eat any gluten, dairy, soy, chocolate, egg yolks, coffee, beef or pork as I reacted to all these foods. After removing these, I lost 35 lbs. and started to feel better. She also has me taking Flurovit (iron supplement), Super EFA oil, glucogenics for my bowels, intensive probiotics, and Juniperus for liver support and vit. D3. She tested my adrenals and they were out of whack so she had me take an adrenal tonic which helped as I’m back to normal adrenal levels. She also has me take Betaine HCl protocol and I’m presently taking 4 capsules with each meal. I also take Melatonin (2mg) to sleep and lots of Magnesium (2000 mg – against my Naturopath’s wishes) in order to have regular bowel movements. As soon as I wean the Magnesium a little, I get constipation and painful rectoceoles ( I had 4 children by vaginal birth). What else can I do to help my condition? Is there anything I can do to correct the low platelets and low WBC?
I saw your talk on the online Autoimmune Summit last week. It was very interesting.
Thank you for spreading the word about functional medicine.

Hi Bart,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I have been diagnosed with Hashimotis Thyroditis, hypertherodism, inflamed thyroid, all autoimmune disorders. The doctor is insisting that I undergo radioactive iodine in three weeks to remove or kill my thyroid. I honestly believe the problem is mercury in my teeth and would like to go the natural route. However, the doctor informs me “that train as left the depot” and it is too late for me. I now have organ damage and they want to do the procedure asap.

Hello Sherrie,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Is autoimmune disease actually curable..or just manageable? My endocrinologist told me that no matter what I do, the antibodies in my blood will never completely go away. I want to believe she is wrong. However, after doing well on a natural diet for some time I made the mistake of eating whatever I wanted during the holidays, and almost immediately, I counted the cost.

I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease as a teen. I am now in my 50s. Had a partial thyroidectomy at age 17 which corrected the problem temporarily. Since that time I have had periods of about 10-12 years in remission. Then any stressful event seems to kick-start active symptoms again. Traditionally, I have been treated successfully with Methimazole for periods of 18 months. This time however, I developed a severe allergic reaction to Methimazole. Not wanting to opt for radio-active iodine treatment or surgery, I am now taking PTU, which initially made me miserable with the side-effects. I had unbearable leg cramps, frequent stomach pains, headaches and occasional nausea and vomiting. Not liking the alternatives, I persevered on PTU by reducing the dose, and looked into natural treatments to help alleviate the side-effects. I changed my diet radically, cutting out sugar and gluten, switching to organic foods, and especially taking twice daily doses of raw apple cider vinegar in green tea with cinnamon, ginger, lemon and raw honey. The effect was dramatic. I started to feel very much better.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, however, I relaxed a little too much and let my diet slip, allowing gluten and sugar back into my life for a week or two. Now I feel ill, my left knee is painful and swollen (I have arthritis also), and my body is generally letting me know it is inflamed. I am trying to undo the damage I did, but I am surprised and confused at such a quick reaction to eating some favorite treats during the holidays. I guess they need to go – permanently!

I have learned from this, but realize that changing my diet and managing my health without support is challenging. I am looking for a natural health community that supports each other and a functional medicine doctor who I can go to for good advice! Where can I go to find this where I live? (I am near Philadelphia, PA).

Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Thank you for delivering relevant content. I have been working with a functional MD for 2.5yrs for Haschimotos but I am not improving. In fact, I am getting worse. I have recently started to demonstrate symptoms of other auto-immune diseases, lyme and fibromyalgia. What am I missing? How can I better identify the source?

Ah the answer to my problem. Way to post it on the Internet Doc. A few doctors have failed to tell me my issue with my blood that I feel I have. The problem is very similar. Asking questions to the patient is the best way to find a cure. Lazy people(scumbags) in this world.. I tell yuh. Reading and reading.

I have Palm plantar psoriasis, I am being treated with MTX for the last 3months . It has dramactialy cellared it up, but the side effects are bad, I had a break out 20 years ago for about a 5 year period and then gone, they called it ecesma then but it is the same now. My question is will I have to take this medicine forever or will it possibly be temporary? And what could be the root of the problem ? Any help or direction appreciated Thank You

Hi Donna,
We encourage you to work with your doctor to determine the trigger for your symptoms and the appropriate length of time for your medication. If are interested in finding a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I found these comments really interesting, I have recently been diagnosed as suffering from Alopecia Areata. For many years I have suffered from severe bloating, stress, depression, dry skin, allergies, hair/nails don’t grow well and after being so thin people thought I was ill for years, despite a healthy diet and a lot of exercise I find it impossible to lose weight and consistently put weight on. Doctors have done blood tests: thyroid (x4), full blood count, seratin, Vitamin B12/D, Coeliacs (x3) and all have come back normal. I have had to push for bloods to be taken and no one has suggested these problems could be linked to autoimmune system until I was diagnosed with AA, these stories are all too familiar yet I still find that the NHS don’t seem to recognise or try to get to the root cause of the problem and so I am still searching for answers myself. If there is anyone in the UK who can point me in the direction of someone who may be able to help, I would be grateful.

i have been diagnosed with type one diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto thyroiditis, asthma and I keep getting rumors on my ovaries. I also think I have a lactose intolerance or at least sensitivity to everything except cheese….oddly enough. But most milk makes me a quite unpleasant person. I was just wondering if maybe gluten free would do more harm than good. I have heard that I wouldn’t be getting all the nutrients I need if I do that. I tried being vegetarian and I felt awful. Lol. I have a swollen lymph node under my right arm. I feel crappy pretty much all the time and live at a level 4 pain. That’s with arava and pain meds that I kinda hate taking but have to to function. My question is, do the auto immune diseases stop at some point, will I just keep getting more and more of them if all I do is medicinally “treat the smoke”? I am miserable and just want some relief……not in pill form. Any advise?

Hello Rebekah,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I have been researching autoimmune disease for several years now and there are many things you can do to relieve your symptoms. First I am not a dr just an avid researcher of these health issues. For autoimmune illness if you have one you can get others unless you find and stop the trigger that caused it. It usually starts with a leaky gut which means that the food is not digested and the gut bacteria have been over run by some bad ones usually. Usually this is cause by Candida that changes form from a yeast form to a fungal form and then grows tenicles that bore through the bowel wall. Once in the body cavety other undigested food particles and toxins produced by the gut bacteria can not enter the body cavity and the antibodies form against these foreign proteins. The antibodies sometimes get confused as to which is a human body part and with is a foreign protein or toxin and starts attacking a body part. This is why diet is so important because certain foods trigger this reaction more than others. We develope food allergies to those foods we love to eat the most and they become triggers often and have to be removed until we can stop the attacks. The AIP Paleo diet is one of the best for any autoimmune problem. Look it up and you can see the guidelines. There is also the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or also the GAPS diet that are excellent too. Other things that can trigger the autoimmune response are parasites, Yeast, molds, bacteria, heavy metals especially lead and mercury fillings, chemical sensitivities, pesticides, stress, too much estrogen. This gives you an idea how complicated it can be the easiest is to start with the diet and that gives the most and fastest relief but usually you have to dig deeper. Good luck.

Thank you so much for being upfront and honest about how doctors are really trained. I am a nurse and have been diagnosed with thyroiditis. Every doctor I see just wants to try more medications and refuses to listen to what I think the problem is. We have mold in our home (stachybotrys) and I KNOW that is what caused my autoimmune condition. I did see an environmentalist doctor though who has confirmed my issues are due to our mold levels. We’re in the middle of a legal battle, unfortunately, and we also don’t have anywhere to live until it’s fixed. I know my symptoms and conditions will go away once we get out of here though. Great article!

I have been a fan of yours for years but I have to say I find the story about the autoimmune man healing very diffcult to believe. I have Hashi, Candidias for 40 years but found out in 2008, 7 Heavy metals with mercury and lead very high, Lyme disease from tick bites around 55 years ago and only found out summer 2014. I have been working on the Candida since 2008 and have made progress but have not been able to get rid of it. I did numerous IV and oral chelations this year and still have a high load of heavy metals. I have been having rife like treatments for the Lyme. My diet has been grain free since 2010 and I do take dairy off and on but not a lot, no soy for years, no sugar for years and I only started eating a bit more fruit then just berries recently since the Candida was better. I eat paleo and only natural organic foods never processed and drink only water. My hormones are also a mess. How do you do it that you can fix some one with all these issues? I dont live in the US but in Europe and its difficult to find a dr that is open to any other way than their own way.

Hi Karen,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

If you are unable to find a practitioners in your are, you can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Please go to: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Do you know of any highly skilled functional medicine doctors with specific experience dealing with ALS patients? We will travel anywhere in the US to get some guidance besides “come back in three months and we’ll see how far you’ve progressed.”

Hi Karen,
I recommend that you contact and interview a few doctors to find the right fit. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I have been diagnosed with Lichen Planar after a severe allergic reaction to penicillin, was told that I had a systemic yeast infection and malabsorption which were treated. I was also told I have allergies to Whey, yeast and mushrooms. I have had a lifelong issue with chronic sinusitis and sinus infections, but having eliminated dairy and yeast from my diet for 6 months I found it made no difference with regards to the Lichen Planar or my sinuses. I take probiotics, B100, Fish Oil, Vitamin D and other supplements. I also take bioidentical hormones to try and regulate my hormones. Doing all of this the Lichen Planar is still there and after a short period of improvement I have recently been having another outbreak. I live in Canada and I am wondering if there is anyone in this country who treats with functional medicine, I had been seeing a naturopath but even with that I saw minimal improvement. I have believed for several years that I need to find the root cause of my condition and not treat it with prescriptions, I am a medical representative and also believe that there is a time and place for pharmaceuticals. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Dawn,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hi, I was wondering if CIPD could be handled the same way? With diet elimination and the things you wrote about. I take prednisone and have used IVIG for treatment but it is very expensive and we have to battle with the insurance company to get it. Please advise.
Thanks for your time

Hi Lisa,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hello l was diagnosed with hashimoto dis-ease 2009-ish and was prescribed thyroxine which l took but not regularly l also took fucus homeopathic remedy. The dose of thyroxine is still only 50 micrograms and so now l take that every day.
Then in 2012 l was very ill and eventually after a very horrible biopsie the diagnosis came back of auto-immune hepatitus.
I was living in France an despite all the scary threats from the specialist l chose to use homeopathics and herbs. I have been a vegetarian since 1985 and a vegan for at least 20 years, so l increased my B vitamins
I moved back to the UK to reduce my stress and have friends again and last year l started taking prednisolone 2.5mg about a year ago to help me get through the move. I do a liver/gall bladder cleanse every month and the stones are shifting. I am trying eft to help with stress and re-educating my immune system
My blood results are pretty wild/chaotic and there are signs of scarring on my liver.
If l felt the drugs would help l would take them but l have little faith for obvious reasons. I am always looking for hope.
Any thoughts will be helpful.
Thanks

Hi, I almost died a few years back. Doctor kept telling me I had Lupus but blood work did not confirm. I had everything from a fever hair lost, tired all the time, lots of blood in urrine. I could have pealed off my skin because I itch so bad. I finally stopped taking my blood pressure and water pill. Most of my symptoms went away. Doctor told me that it was the sulfer. Three years later it is starting again. Itching,blood in urine, and my knuckles have doubled in size. Need some guidence on what to do.

Hi Mona,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Boy, there are a lot of us. I am 53 and have been diagnosed and undiagnosed so many times and no one knows how to help me. I avoid pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary and even tylenoi, etc products. Only pharmaceutical I am on now is armour thyroid. My biggest concern right now is my severe chronic neutropenia. My overall white blood cell count comes out at 1.6 and my absolute neutrophil count at .3. My primary Dr. says he knows nothing about what to do. Sends me to hematologist that wont do anything except bone marrow biopsy’s and then says I am idiopathic without running any other tests. I know my body is attacking the white blood cells as they are produced and have mentioned to hematologist an anti-body test but he refuses to do it. I even have applied as a test subject at a Univeristy that works with this disorder…..and of course have not heard anything back either. In the past I have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis but the test comes out negative. They have at different times checked me for lupus, MS, leukemia, etc. I have lost a lot of sight in my right eye due to a bout with optic neuritis. Always have gastrointestinal problems. Have urticarial and lots of itching spells. Have changed my diet to no sugars and very low carbohydrates. No dairy and avoid gluten as much as possible. Try to eat as organic as possible. I am in great shape as I exercise regularly. Take plenty of healthy supplements, i.e. turmeric, quercitin & bromelain, astragalus, fish oil, multi vitamins, B12, folic acid, garlic, zinc, vit C & D, CA, K, Mg. Went to a naturopathic doctor that had me send in a couple of tests (urine and bowel) and have not heard anything back from him either. I guess I am just not important enough for anyone to want to help. I have a very stressful business but it is just me that pays the bills primarily so I can’t just stop that and go live in a cardboard box to have a non-stressful life without winning the lottery. I am sick all winter long every year…..my busiest season. I know enough to take antibiotics I receive from out of country when I get sick to keep from really getting in bad shape. It takes forever to get in with a doctor and I’d be hospitalized without my self care. Use many natural antibiotics as well (coilloidal silver, olive leaf oil, oil of oregano, quino bark, etc) and essential oils as needed for particular symptoms. Had H1NI last spring and I knew I needed Tamiflu and actually had a fight with my doctor to get it and finally bypassed her and went to an urgent care clinic who tested me and confirmed H1NI and within 2 days had bad sinus and brochial infection and again had to fight like you know what to get strong antibiotics to attack that. I really thought I was going to die with that one. Meanwhile all my clients at my business are up at arms with me because I am out so much sick. And on top of all this I have cervical dystonia. I sometimes think my best cure is a bullet. Just kidding. Anyways, this all gets so frustrating and I am an extremely busy person and don’t have the time to keep up with chasing down the medical industry. I wish they would treat me half as good as I treat my clients!!

Hi Dr. Hyman, I am a 46 yo male. I have had bad digestive problems for since i was around 13 years old when i was diagnosed with IBS and a highly acidic stomach. A lot of my high school years was spent on the toilet and in a lot of pain. I also had very bad acne and now scarring. Over the years, I have tried Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine and around 20 or more natural doctors (Chiros, nutritionists, Chinese doctors, etc.). I am currently taking 10 or more supplements for various things like parasites, fungus, probiotic, hypothalmus, metals, etc. I still have a lot of issues with my environment-i travel a lot for work. Even though i am better with my digestion-i dont have a lot of diarrhea or pain anymore i still have the following issues:

1) Red and burning right eye-after my lasik surgery my right eye easily begins to burn and get red. I think the right eye is more troublesome due to it was an astigmatism and i had worse eye site in this eye. I have never been the same after the lasik. I am trking Nutriwest Eyebright-C to help with it. However, my eye gets really red if i get irritate
2) Erectile dysfunction-I have been having trouble with this for a few years now. I am very inconsistent and depending on the day, i can not get or keep an erection.
3) Bad skin-my skin looks horrible if i eat something wrong or something in the environment gets me inflamed

I do try to eat mostly vegetables, protein and fruit and I have also starting taking protandim which has really helped my skin and scarring look much better.

Hi Bryan,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

Dr Knews says not to chelate with an autoimmunity issue. The autoimmunity must be corrected first and recommends Cyrex 2 11 and 20 tests before proceeding (he is on the cyrex board). I had not heard of that until I accidentally found his page. I test high for several metals and I have leaky gut. Can I fix them at the same time or gut before metals? I thought metals could cause leaky gut/ immunity symptoms. Confused.

I have psoriasis and cannot seem to lose weight no matter what I try and I have tried everything. .. I feel that I am grasping at straws trying to find help to lose weight. I am scared to try other things but keep searching for answers. How can I be sure your approach will help me when other holistic approaches haven’t?

Hi
I have been struggling for 6 years. 40 lbs alone since June of this year. I have severe edema, inflammation and no one knows why. I have a cold foot. I pee blood constantly without infection. I get UTi’s two or three times a month. I have bloody diarhea but no one knows why or will check anything. I have hyperthyroid but gain weight. I tested for low cortisol but I dont think the test was done correctly because I have none of the symptoms and I was taking supplements when I did the test. I have seen 31 dr’s. Im the meantime, I had to quit my job because I was spending more money on clothes for the weight gain and supplements dr’s were pushing. Only time I lost weight and inflammation was when I stopped eating animal protein. I have zero cravings. I sleep well, I eat clean but I am told never to exercise. Not even to walk. I had always maintained my weight until I was told to do an elimination diet and only eat meat and veggies. My body fat went from 17% to 45% and keeps getting higher. I have spent over $60,000 on tests, supplements and dr’s and no one seems to want to really help. I have a surgery scheduled for this coming monday for a growth now in my armpit. I have never been so embarrassed in my life to go out the doors of my house. I am so heavy, and I LOVE to workout and miss it so much! But I was told never to work out. Wish someone would come up with an answer for me.

I have had illnesses all my life.I was born sitis inversis, then I had bad allergies, ashma, sinusitus, pancreatitus, gullbladder removed, histerectomy, Hoshimoto thyroid disease, Alopecia Areata,non-diabetic neuropathy, cervical spine surgery (ACDF), now I have ear and jaw pain (TMJ) I think. I also have dry eyes for last 3 weeks and severe itching on scalp and pustules with hairloss. I am waiting for referral to Dermatologist to see if I also have Cicatricial Alopecia. I am sure there are others I forgot to mention. I am so tired of being sick. My family use to think I was making it all up until I had all the surgeries and hospitalizations. I don’t think my Dr. understands and She just treats the symptoms. I was taking 10 pills a day until I stopped taking most of them. I still take my Thyroxzine, and Wellbutrin for depression, Benedryl for sleep. My skin itches on my back, crotch, in ears and I use cortaid for that. I wish I just had some peace. I am 62 yrs old female and need your help. I live in San Bernardino CA and I am on Medicaid and Medicare so I am not sure if my insurance covers the treatment I need to get over this. I cannot afford it otherwise. I eat mostly vegetables and fruits but do eat meat on rare occasions. I have a sugar addiction and am trying to slowly get myself off sugar and so Idon’t eat to much sugar now. When I was young Dr told me my allergies were so bad I should move where therewas no life. But they are alot better now even though I still have some. I just wanted you to have some of my history Can You help? Thanks

Hi Judy,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

hi sir,
my name iz deepak 25 years old from india, n am suffering from backpain, n I’ll b having pain in my hip joint too, i consult a doc, n dey said i have OA and kyphosis, scoliosis, dey prescribe some medz, i was fine until then i take medz, again itz appeared once i stopped, again i went to another doc, dey said i have TB and AS, dey gave me medicines for TB, and once itz cured, dey will treat my AS with “anti tnf-a”. so any help would be appricitiable..
(sorry for bad english)

I have been away from western meds for years…i will get blood testing and then i have always treated my self with extensive research and with articles like yours…when i got horrible joint pain in my hands about 3 years a go, i could nt even pick up a cup. i have always detoxed and taken all the supplements you have listed, but i was sure i still had underlying inflammation somewhere…I started on collodial silver and two table spoons of coconut oil daily to treat any underlying yeast, bacterial or viral infections, then i took a supplement called Protandim and supplemented with boswellin and circumin. In 2 months all my symptoms vanished for years until i sprained my wrist and started feeling the old joint pain …Again, i took my boswellin and circumin double dose, and used arnica oil , ALC and alpha lipoic acid…My chiropractor was amazed how i didn’t even have swelling…so, i hope more people read your article and start demanding changes with western medicine doctors…i know i have controlled my blood pressure , cholesterol and viral infections all with holistic meds….i am so glad i took the time to research and really delve into practicing naturally and thank you for this wonderful article.

Hello Aparna,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Dear Dr Hyman,
My partner and I are trying for a baby and my clinic have found I have some immune issues, such as high TNF-a and Natural killer cells as well as overactive thyroid. They have given me a dose of Humira which brought my immunes down, however, the embryos still failed to implant. After the embryo transfer I have noticed that my knuckles were very swollen (rheumatism?) which I normally combat with fish oil but I refrained from taking supplements during the process. It may have been a mistake.
I am 38 and although my egg quality is probably diminishing, we did get some good quality embryos and the only reason I can think of for non-implantation is that my immune system attacked the embryos as foreign cells.
Do you have any suggestions what diet I should follow or what additional supplements I could take to keep my immune system under control.
Thank you in anticipation.

Hello Gabi,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I have cerebellar degeneration have not found a proper Dr. to address this without harsh medicine. Having multiple allergies and reducing stress, and use of vitamins: I am still frustrated!

Can sciatic pain be the cause of my LBP and LE fatigue to the point of dragging my feet? Instead of spending more frustrating time since I live in a smaller town I am just asking if this is a problem often seen with autoimmune dz? Maybe you can recommend a web site that would address this issue?

I am 58 years old and first got nodular prurigo after a 3month stay in hospital and subsequent birth of my second child in 1984. Since that day I have had everything from topical steroid, oral steroid, injected steroid, chemotherapy, fibroblasts bandage, PUVA treatment, thalidomide, to now having azathioprine and anti histamine. I was always severely panoramic until I reached menopause in my mid forties. I have always suffered migraines from the age if 7. I have had blood transfusion after pregnancy and then iron injections but am ok with that now. I had strep in my throat, staph on my skin and helicobacter pylori in my stomach for which I was treated with triple cover anti biotic. I now have a stomach ulcer, this bled and I had internal bleeding due to taking sociopathic for pain, I now have to take omeprazole daily. I have osteoporosis which I take adcal daily. I finally was diagnosed positive for celiac disease about 5 years ago and now follow a gluten free diet. It transpires that I also have hyperthyroidism as well and at the time of this discovery my levels were off the chart and I was threatened with a thyroidectomy which I refused. Since following gluten free diet my thyroid is now in the safe zone and my osteoporosis has halted but won’t get better. My bloods are also normal and my migraines have all but disappeared, I probably get one or two per year as opposed to every week and later every month. My weight HAS stabilised and I recently lost a stone without trying. The only thing I now need to get under control is my gastric reflux and my nodular prurigo. If you can offer any advice fir this I would really appreciate it. Many thanks.

Hi my name is Steve I’m a 29 year old male and I was diagnosed with RA three years ago. When I was about 18 my first autoimmune disorder came which is alopecia areta which I didn’t find out was a auto ammunie disease till recently. My alopecia has never been treated I was told that my hair will grow back not to worry. It’s been 11 years and I still get spots I haven’t had a full head of hair in over a year. My rheumatoid arthritis is the real problem. I’m currently doing okay but at its peak every joint in my body would hurt and I couldnt move at all. I still get spontaneous flareups in my elbows knees feet and hands. My rheumatologist currently has me on avara and enbrel they seem to be helping but I’m experiencing side effects such as depression and anxiety which I think are causing my alopecia to act up. I would really like to go natural and stop taking the medications but I’m scared if I do I will have crazy flareups and limited mobility and will be inable to provide for my family. I’m also scared the side affects of the drugs will cause a a premature death. Any suggestions? I would really like to come see you is that possible? I know your response is limited trough the blog so if there’s any other way we could discuss this I would be willing. Thanks in advance..

Hi Steve,
hank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.

I am 56 and have Primary Sjogren’s attaching the eyes, salivary glands, pancreas, kidneys, and liver. I am not seeing a doctor anymore because they were no help at all. I refuse the drugs. So I’m trying to do this by altering my diet (not easy since my digestion is so bad from this) and taking supplements. This is a major city – Los Angeles — but I came up with zero functional medicine doctors in a 25-mile radius. That’s the only kind of doctor I would go to at this point.

I have a auto immune condition that effects my ears, the cartilage in my ear is growing & causing deafness as the ear hole closes up. I have perfect ear drums & hearing otherwise. I have been on steroids for 6 years now & have rhumitiod & osteo arthritis.
A Friend gave my some kefir which I have been drinking daily & reduced my steroid intake. It is good not to be taking as much any more.
Unfortunately I can not afford extensive tests to find the cause. I do intend to read more of your blog to help.

My doctor tells me I am one in a million & he had not seen anything like this. He has not been able to tell me why I have it.
After reading your blog, I can see that I have had a great deal of stressful situations that have been suppressed & continue to effect my life & is not helpful to my health.

My doctor is now retired & I am about to embark on finding another, again.

This is the best writeup on this subject I’ve ever seen. My own problems began after suffering an as yet undiagnosed Catastrophic Hypertensive Event five years ago. The symptoms described above mirror my own so closely it’s spooky. My experience with the medical community has also been as above. I am somewhat encouraged that you feel this may be curable, although I’m not planning the victory celebration just yet. Feel free to contact me privately.

Hello. I am 31 years old and have been sick for about 6 months I have been to dr after dr. I am tired all the time, i have chest pains and pvcs my white blood cell count is high my hemoglobin high my platelets high my sed rate is 24. headaches muscles and joints hurt. they say i am developing a AutoImmune disease but thats it. i need to know why and what i want to heal it not wait for it to get full blown. please point me in the right direction. i have a 4 year old son and a wonderful husband we have a farm and i just hate being sick all the time.

Hi Danielle,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I have Raynauds and raised histamine levels in my body. Kind of a contradiction. When I was in my 20’s I was checked for several auto-immune disorders but none showed up in the tests. I have never considered myself sick, just affected. Should I have this looked into further?

Dr…..my name is Laura and I had a biopsy in 2008 and was diagnosed with Wegener’s Granulomatosis. I have been on prednisone and methotrexate straight for 7 years. I have had a couple of rounds of cyclophosphamide. I was given Rituximab and had a severe allergic reaction withing 20 minutes of infusion. I am so frustrated with taking prednisone and pain throughout my body. I am willing to try something, anything.

Hi Laura,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hi doctor, it’s been two years and m suffering from alopicia areata and have bald patches on my legs, have been to many doctors but nothing worked, I took steroids and the problem goes for while but when yi stop it the problem reoccur..Now i am taking treatment homeopathy treatment still there is no result its been 5 months..it’s so frustating..please suggest

It’s interesting how the pieces of a puzzle come together. I’ve had life-long issues with eczema and dermatitis/rosacea, then had to have a hysterectomy this past year with findings of extensive endometriosis and some retroperitoneal fibrosis. Now diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. I’m learning that they are all related to auto-immune dysfunction. I’m planning to try the UltraSimple diet and read your research. As a Registered Dietitian for over 30 years, it seems I have much more to learn!

it is good to share your pain to the rightful one like babakule who helped me to reduce my weight through his harber herbs that he sent to me in my country.now am looking good and fine,everyone want to have me.thanks to him,my babakule@outlook.com

I have recently been diagnosed with ITP. Have done a round of steroids Prednisolone 80 mg to 40 then gradually down to 10 but my platelets went down to 5 when I reached 10 mg. So we’ve had to start back over. Now back on 60 mg of Prednisolone and doctor has added in Azothiaprine? 150 mg for now… Another immuno suppresant drug.

For two weeks I’ve cut out dairy, gluten, all wheat and sugar. Been lots of veg and not as much sugar because I’m trying to treat what I think is candida. I was on antibiotics at least 3 times last year due to throat infections and then ear infections. I think this is what’s out of order. I feel much better already on this type of diet. Much less swollen, even noticeable in my face and waist.
I plan on adding in probiotics. I’m just not sure what all I can do while on immuno suppresant drugs and not even sure if it will all help since I’ve basically turned my immune system off with these drugs!
Can you give me some hope? Am I on the right track? My dr. doesn’t see anything but the numbers and getting my platelets up. He kinds laughed when I asked about candida. But I did see my IgG and IgA and the other one were all normal.

Dear Dr. Hyman and your staff, I personally want to thank you for actually writing this article about auto-immune disease treatment. I’ve been experiencing those symptoms your patient was experiencing since the age of fourteen. I am now twenty-one and I now have a better understanding of what exactly is going on in my body. The pain, the fatigue, and brain fog (I was blessed enough to not really have the mental/emotional effects of it). I’ve kind of read the replies of the staff and they state they can not answer any questions through the internet…however I would personally like to consult with Dr. Hyman. I’m going to try the different cures as well.

I am 57 and have been piling on the conditions through the years…asthma, eczema, allergies, ALS which did not advance, and eventually mixed connective tissue disease evolving into lupus. Unless people know this, they think I’m the healthiest person alive. I am 5’7″, 135 pounds and quite fit. I was raised on my German-born mother’s home-cooked diet. We ate food from the garden and enjoyed what mom pickled in the winter. In the 1960s and 70s we had plenty of meat and potatoes too. But I rarely if ever ate processed foods. They were too expensive back then and by the time I was an adult I knew early on they were junk. I eat mostly vegetables, beans and fish, but I did like my coffee with cream and sugar each day and a couple of glasses of wine at night. I love artisan cheese with artisan breads. I walk and jog a few times per week, have low pulse and quiet blood pressure. I could not understand how my system could be so haywire. I went on your 10 Day Detox Diet and remained on it for three weeks now and I must admit I feel better. I have better energy throughout the day. My sinuses, which I did not realize were clogged, are completely clear. My intermittent eczema is mostly gone. My mind seems clearer. My eyesight has slightly improved! I know this because my prescription eyeglasses are not as effective. I can almost watch TV without them for the first time in years. My lungs feel clear so I took myself off daily cingulair for allergy and asthma. My only remaining daily meds are hormone replacement therapy post-hysterectomy for osteopenia and also plaquenil to suppress my immune system for lupus. I will be curious as heck at my next rheumatologist appointment to see if my ANAs and low white blood cell count have improved. That appointment is several months away. My question is, since you say functional medicine is treated with skepticism among traditional physicians, do you think my doctors will dismiss my rejection of all gluten and dairy now as reason for better pathology? I suppose the blood tests will determine if I am imagining improvement, but if they affirm it, I will be interested to see what my doctor says about this. Also, have you ever had an autoimmune patient whose condition did NOT improve with your functional medicine methods? Thank you for your important work.

I’m really frustrated with my health at the moment. I have elevated C-reactive Protein and my doctor keeps re-testing every few weeks. Suddenly everywhere I look I am seeing information on inflammation and a hundred conditions it could lead to.
I am 52 and have hypertention, polycystic OS and am obese. Two years ago after pancreatitis I had my gallbladder removed. I believe I have toxic mercury in my body after a mouthful of amalgam most of my life. I had the last filling removed last year. I eat healthily and have never smoked and I am teetotal. I had a test for allergies from a lab and was informed I was intolerant to wheat. I put it off for a long time but eventually removed wheat from my diet a few months ago.
Recently I started having panic attacks and my BP soared. I had bloods and everything came back good except CRP. I have continued to avoid wheat and also cut dairy and sugar. Despite this I continue to feel unwell with joint pains. The slightest cheat leads to problems – and woe betide me if I try to have a night off. This weekend I ate crisps and chocolate and had pulled pork. The fat led to agonising stomach pain for 2 days and the msg (which I never eat normally) in the sauce for the pork made my heart pound – my rate was 104!!
I have ginger, turmeric,acv, various fruits and lots of green veg. I drink lots of water or chanomile tea. I only use good fats such as olive oil, butter and coconut oil etc etc. Where am I going wrong? Am I being impatient? I feel like I am constantly removing foods from my diet and all that happens is I become even more sensitive to them so that if I ‘cheat’ I suffer. Is this normal?
I’d really appreciate any feedback or suggestions please

Hi Kim,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center, please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637-9991.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Hi …….. i live in Australia, and i have chronic Urticaria. After 12 months on Fexofenadine, Cortisone, Methotrexate, Plaquenil, Cyclosporin and next is Dapsone. Getting tested for Coeliac disease and Helicobacter Pylori tomorrow. I have an amazing GP and Immunologist but we are running out of options. i have decided to do your ten day detox, commencing 20/0315. i would love any ideas and thoughts you may have on other tests that might help. i took your article on 9 step to heal Autoimmune Disease and impressively they agreed to order the tests.

For over a year now, I have dealt with vertigo, general dizziness, off balance, right sided ear pain/pressure, sinus pressure, head pressure on the right side, sensitivity to light and sound and more. I went to several “regular” doctors last year (primary & ENT) who kept diagnosing me with labyrinthitis and trying to “treat” me with anti-vert, which I refused. I did 6 months of vestibular rehabilitation therapy at their advice, which didn’t help. They had no clue the root cause of my problem or how to help, just how to throw a catch all diagnosis at me and drugs. No thanks! I finally saw a neuro-opthamoloist who referred me to a functional medicine doctor. She did some tests that revealed dysbiosis, a MTHFR 677 mutation, some low vitamins & minerals as well as high levels of mercury. I took a short course of antibiotics followed by daily probiotics, along with various supplements to help with my methylation and to raise my vitamin/mineral levels before tackling the mercury. I have a long road ahead and probably some more tests, but I can honestly say that after about 5 weeks of this treatment plan, I am feeling so much better than I have in a long, long time!!

Very good article that explains functional medicine very well. I have a question about the patient in the article, Sam. Did he have to stay on the special diet indefinitely or was he able to reintroduce problem foods again? This is the part that frustrates me because I hate being on a restrictive diet all the time, but after getting almost all of my digestive issues healed for 6 months, and slowly adding FODMAPs back in, my issues came back. Now I am going through an elimination diet all over again. At this point, I am over being on such a limited diet.

I have not been officially dx with an autoimmune disorder. Last Dr. I went to said I had “some markers” of “some autoimmune disorder” but he did not have enough experience to know for sure.

I had all the IgG tests done, all came back normal that I did not have any allergies other than to dogs. I was told the wheat, soy and lactose issues had to be in my head and to just eat a normal diet. (I know what those foods do to me and trust me it is NOT just all in my head).

I am not under a Dr.’s care as I cannot find one that will treat the issue all the Dr.s want to do is throw meds at me that do not really treat the issue. I would much rather not take any meds if I do not have to.

I am very frustrated as I seem to get my issue under control by my diet to just mess up and go back to square 1 OR have something else pop up that I did not have before. The newest one is any time I eat a carb (gluten free bread today) I completely get stuffy and my sinuses start producing huge amounts of mucous. Sometimes so much I throw up.

I am TRYING to change my diet. I want to go to a protein (from animal) veggie and fruit diet only, but I do not know how to eat enough calories.

I am getting back into the gym. I had stopped because my muscles and joints hurt so bad at times that I just do not feel like it. (that started after my hysterectomy a year ago). I have gained 30 pounds and no matter what I do exercise wise or diet wise I still gain.

My results go up and down. I am searching on how to get it right and stay that way so I can feel good again. I have not felt good for over a year now.

Hello Tracy,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center, please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637-9991.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I am a 27 year old female who a year ago, was seemingly healthy overall. 2 weeks after getting a tooth pulled with a antibiotic resistant abcess, I began having really odd symptoms. I began seeing my doctor at that time, and still to this day am still battling a worsening condition. I have felt for the past year that something is attacking my body, primarily my heart. I have chest, back and left arm pain everyday. Echos and EKGs show no damage. I am almost positive it is autoimmune.

After the realization that all it seems like the doctors are doing is “observing” my illness as it worsens, I have decided to do what I can to take back my health. I am so glad I stumbled across this page because I am so relieved to find out that some doctors actually practice medicine the way I think it should be practiced. The body is a whole, not parts. EVERY diagnosis I have ever gotten has lacked one very important aspect. A cause. IBS, Gastroesophaegal refulx, etc. None of these are pointing to a reason or cause. This has always bothered me. I love all of the helpful information on this site.

One thing that I struggle with extremely is my diet. I have spent many years eating unhealthy foods and am having ALOT of trouble developing good eating habits, which I know is the main aspect of treating this autoimmunity. I really need a weekly coach to guide me through a variety of easy, colorful healthful recipes that are still yummy. I want to find my love for tasty food in food that is good for me. Any suggestions where to start?

Hi Elizabeth,
If you would like information on becoming a patient for help with your nutrition at The UltraWellness Center, please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637-9991.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

I have recently been diagnosed with psoriasis. They have me on a triamcinolone acetoneide cream right now, but it does not appear to be working. I also have 2 herniated discs in my back and have suffered from severe sciatica for about 4 months now. I’m sure this is the inflamation and stress that has triggered the scoriasis. This morning, the right side of my face / jaw became swollen immediately after eating a grapefruit. Starting to freak out a little. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Matthew,
Thank you for your interest In Dr. Hyman’s work. Unfortunately he cannot provide you personalized medical advice in this forum. In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor near you who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117 and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your location. Progress accordingly from there.
You can also make an appointment to be a patient at Dr.Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center, please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637-9991.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Hyman Staff

Or,for more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to: http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.